The door tentatively swung open. Sue Ann entered the room, head down, and pulled out a chair to sit down. Heather immediately noticed a dark circle under one eye and a red welt under the other. She stuffed down her immediate reaction to ask what happened and said, “Thanks for coming, Sue Ann. Grant didn't come with you?"
“He told me to come by myself. He couldn’t take no time off today.”
Steve looked toward her and smiled. “That’s fine, Sue Ann. I’m glad you could come. You have a lovely voice, but I’m having a bit of a hard time hearing you. If you could speak up a little that would help me out.”
She agreed, but the words showed no appreciable increase in volume. If it weren't for the bandage on Roy's eye, Heather would never believe this shrinking violet would ever raise her voice, let alone a hand, in anger. Perhaps Sue Ann's still waters had turbulent undercurrents.
"How are the children?" asked Steve.
"They're fine, I guess."
Sue Ann's tepid response came only after she seemed to choose her words with extra care. She also made a mental note that Sue Ann winced when she sat down. A swollen eye and unseen damage elsewhere had the hallmarks of an abusive husband's handiwork.
"Tell me about your day," said Steve.
A look of confusion crossed Sue Ann's face. Her eyes darted as if she was checking for a way out of the room. "It weren't nothin’ special."
Steve took on a jovial tone. "That can't be right with four kids running around the house. I bet there was plenty of activity."
"Matthew cut his foot, but not bad. He hates to wear shoes."
"I did, too. But I grew up in Houston and my mom loved thick grass. With all the rain on the coast, Dad and I were kept busy cutting it."
"We have a four-legged lawn mower that gives milk."
Steve smiled. He was putting Sue Ann at ease with inconsequential conversation and questions. Heather had seen him use the same tactic numerous times when he detected someone’s resistance to answering questions. It took time and laughter, but her answers stretched longer and contained more details.
"How’s Grant's job at the granite quarry?"
"He don't like it much, but there ain't much else around here for him to do."
Steve rocked back in the executive chair. "I guess some inheritance money would come in handy."
She included a firm nod with her verbal reply. "We got a stack of doctor bills. That don't count all the normal things."
"What days does Grant work?"
"He’s supposed to work Monday through Friday, but most weeks he takes a day off."
"Does he have any hobbies?"
"He knows every inch of the lake and he’s good at fishin’. If nothin’ else, we can always eat fish and hush puppies, and fresh vegetables in season. I do a lot of cannin’ this time of year." She straightened her posture. "I grow a passable garden and we raise chickens. Between what Grant brings home huntin’ and fishin’, milk from the cow, eggs, the garden and what we get from the government and churches, we always have enough."
"You're a resourceful woman. Do you go fishing and hunting with Grant?"
"Used to. Before the kids came along."
"Did you hunt much before you married?"
A laugh pealed out from her. "You've seen where I grew up. Mama taught all us kids how to shoot. You never knew when a snake or coyote might come around the house. I got me a fox tryin’ to get in the henhouse when I was eight."
"Did you hunt deer?"
"Sure. I don't anymore because Grant wants me to stay home with the kids while he goes."
Heather made notes on a legal pad. Steve was picking Sue Ann's brain for clues and she didn't realize it. So far, he'd verified they were behind on bills and needed help to survive. Grant and Sue Ann could both handle a boat and firearms. Grant worked Monday through Friday, but not every week. She'd need to verify if Grant missed work on the days the murders took place.
Heather gripped her pen when Steve asked his next question.
"How many times has Mae talked to you since Thursday?"
"Three."
Sue Ann's wide eyes telegraphed she hadn't meant to answer the question.
"You can't tell her I told you, Mr. Smiley."
"Did she want you to sign something?"
"I'm not supposed to say. That lawyer told me I couldn't."
Heather huffed. This wasn't good for Sue Ann. There's no telling what trick or pressure they used to get her to sign something she couldn't understand. That also might explain the red eye and why Sue Ann kept her left elbow pressed against her ribs.
"Grant found out, didn't he?" asked Steve.
Sue Ann looked like a balloon leaking air. Her shoulders rounded over and her head dipped.
Steve reached his hand toward Sue Ann. "Take it, and look at me."
She inched fingers with gnawed nails toward him as she blinked back tears.
"Have you signed anything yet?"
"I told them I might today after the meeting."
Heather put her pen on the legal pad. "Don't worry, Sue Ann. We won't let anyone cheat you."
Steve released her hand. "Let's not borrow trouble until we see what the second part of the will has to say."
Sue Ann took a breath and leaned over. She brought a purse half the size of a bed pillow to the top of the table. "I was going through all of Daddy's papers when I did the inventory of the ranch house. I'm not sure, but I think this is a copy of the will."
"Both parts?" asked Heather.
"What's in the first envelope reads the same as the one you gave us."
Steve's voice held a hint of excitement. "Has anyone else seen this?"
"No. I didn't remember it until after Mae and Mr. Shaw left this morning."
Heather wasn't prone to get excited about wills, but this one had her heart racing. "Have you read the second part?"
"No. I didn't think it right for me to know before the others."
"Do you want us to keep it?" asked Steve.
"I think it’s better that you have it. If Grant finds out I forgot to tell him, I don't know what he'll do." She pushed the envelope toward Steve.
"Did you find any other interesting documents?"
"Daddy wasn't much for keeping records, but I found some titles to land and all our birth certificates."
"Those are important," said Heather. "Let me have everything you brought and I'll give the birth certificates to your brothers and sister tomorrow."
"One more thing," said Steve. "What did you think of Hector DeLeon?"
Her face brightened, then fell. "He was the nicest man I ever met. When Daddy beat Mama, Hector would nurse her back to health. Daddy was a mean man. He beat all of us, but not like he did Mama."
"What about Rance?" asked Steve. "We heard he wasn't as hard on him."
Sue Ann looked beyond Steve, as if she could see into the past. "When Roy left home, the whippings stopped. Daddy would get mad, but he wouldn't hit me or Rance. Don't know why."
Heather made a note on her pad. Steve had no further questions, so he expressed his thanks and asked if she had anything else to add. Sue Ann slung her purse over her shoulder and promised not to tell that she'd given them the second part of the will.
Heather had the envelope open before Sue Ann made it three steps down the hall. She read it aloud and waited for Steve to respond.
"Leave it to Charley to make us work for answers."
"Why didn't he just write out who gets what?"
"He did. Sort of."
She made a sound like air coming out of a bicycle pump.
"What time is it?" asked Steve.
"We're ahead of schedule, by twenty minutes."
"Call Mae and tell her we'll come to her condo. The walls of this room are closing in on me."
Steve was right. A change of scenery after Sue Ann's tales of woe would be welcome. Even if it involved obnoxious Mae and her slimy lawyer.
Patrick answered the door wearing pleated shorts, a knit shirt, and deck shoes. "I hope you don't mind the informal attire. It's a relief to put the suit back in the closet. Mae will be out in a minute."
Two men and a woman entered through a sliding glass door that led to a covered patio overlooking the lake. Patrick took care of introductions. The men were identified as an architect and a civil engineer. The woman was a paralegal in the law firm Patrick worked for.
Of the three, it was the woman who caught Heather’s attention. Her violet eyes were as startling as they were disarming. They reminded Heather of a color she’d seen at sunset when God took special pleasure in painting the sky.
Paralegal Cindy King stood nearest to Patrick during the introductions. Perhaps it was nothing, but Heather made a mental note that he touched the small of her back when he introduced her.
The three excused themselves with the unlikely excuse they wanted to find a Starbucks. A flip chart and white board on an easel gave evidence the trio were there to plot out the future of a lakefront development.
While Patrick saw them out, Heather looked around the condominium with its upscale touches. The open floor plan included hardwood floors in the living room, dining room, and breakfast nook. Rich, brown leather covered the couch, a love seat, and a recliner. The kitchen boasted stainless appliances and the obligatory granite counter tops. Thick area rugs spread over the living room's center and under the dining room table with seating for six. Abstract paintings of muted colors and soft designs looked down from the walls.
As impressive as the inside area was, the covered deck caught Heather's eye and held her gaze. A hardwood table and chairs sat at one end of the deck, while a more intimate conversation circle of a glass-topped table and padded outdoor furniture anchored the other end. Heather’s gaze swept over the shimmering water and an arc of homes and condominiums. She noticed most of the homes came with drive-in boat garages, complete with boat lifts. It was the type of real estate where if you had to ask the price, you probably couldn't afford it.
Mae breezed in with a long-stemmed wineglass held in a hand weighted down with rings. She wore a one-piece jumper with one too many top buttons undone. Heather took one look at the exposure and knew a surgeon had enhanced Mae’s assets.
"Have my siblings come to their senses? Please tell me they have," said Mae as gold bracelets jangled.
Steve spoke first. "We might have made a little progress today. Can we sit down and talk about it?"
"The view is so much nicer outside," said Mae.
"Nothing like a magnificent view," said Steve.
Heather knew he threw that line in to see how deep Mae's self-absorption went. Her absence of response answered the question.
"I think the deck is divine," said Mae. "Especially this time of day when the traffic on the water settles down. It's so rude the way some of these boats fly about. The racket is unbearable."
Patrick cleared his throat. "I take it you have no objection to my sitting in."
"The more the merrier," said Steve in a jovial voice.
"Could I get either of you something to drink? Wine, beer, something stronger?"
Heather held up a palm to give her answer. Steve said, “Water for me. I'm driving." He cut loose with a boisterous laugh.
For once Mae laughed, but it sounded like the bray of a donkey. She must have realized her faux pas and said, "Let's take our drinks outside. I'm interested in what scheme les cher infants are plotting."
Steve chirped on about boats and a near-death experience trying to water ski after he lost his sight. Heather took in the scene of lakeside properties hugging the water. The panorama held a certain mystique that drew you in. It also came at a premium. Her thoughts shifted to the Voss ranch. Even if it wasn't the first development on the lake, it could rival this one.
Patrick delivered Steve's water and settled into a cushioned chair with a short glass of ice and amber liquor.
Steve asked, "How did it go with the sheriff this morning?"
"What do you mean?" asked Patrick.
Steve kept the lighthearted tone to his voice. "Sorry. Old habit. I used to be a homicide detective in Houston. I knew Sheriff Blake would ask you where you were at the time of Hector's death. Those are the kinds of questions I used to start a murder investigation with. It's no big deal, forget I asked."
Mae wasn't one to stay quiet. "He was rude. He all but accused me of killing Hector. I had nothing to do with that man when I was young and I didn't kill him."
"Of course not. What could you gain from that? It's not as if your father would leave anything in the will to him." Steve paused. "Would he?"
"How should I know what that crazy old man did?" She tapped a heavy ring on her wineglass. "But if he did, Pat says we have good cause to challenge the will. Isn't that right, dear?"
He squirmed in his chair. "I seriously doubt it will come to that."
Heather bit her lip when she heard the non-answer. Typical lawyer response.
"I can't imagine it coming to that, either," said Steve. "But, we did hear some things today that led us to believe Hector was much loved by most of the family. Is that true?"
"Not by me," said Mae. "He pretended to care, but I knew better than to trust him. Anyone who put up with Dad must have had a screw loose."
"That's not surprising," said Steve. "I saw your dad in action against Roy once. I'm glad I wasn't on the receiving end of his anger."
If fire could really come from someone's eyes, Mae could melt steel. "You have no idea, Mr. Smiley. I'm entitled to every bit of the inheritance for what that animal did to me." She drained her glass. "And speaking of the inheritance, I know my brothers are trying to cheat me. What I don't know is how?"
Heather noticed that Mae didn't mention Sue Ann. She obviously believed her sister would soon sign away her inheritance.
"It's nothing definite yet," said Steve. "Rance mentioned his desire to sell the herd and move to a place with literal greener pastures. It's possible he might be amenable to some sort of land-for-cattle trade."
"No!"
"I come in peace," said Steve with his hands raised. "Don't shoot the messenger. I wanted you to know that Roy told Rance he'd support him whatever he decided. They both seemed willing to talk again before tomorrow’s meeting. Is that something you'd like to take part in?"
"Can't you see? They're ganging up against me. I’m telling you, Mr. Smiley, they're plotting something. It won't work. I'm the oldest and first in line for the inheritance. They may get an equal part, but I'll get the lakefront."
Patrick said, "Perhaps we shouldn't be so hasty, Mae. We could at least hear the offer."
Mae's highlighted hair swung from side to side. "I know Roy. He has more up his sleeve than his arm. The best way to deal with him is to ignore him. I'll win this hand. I know I will."
Steve and Heather stood at the same time. "Thanks for the water and the talk. Heather will read the second part of the will tomorrow at five, provided we receive it by then."
"You don't have it?" asked Patrick.
"I heard from the attorney that has the original," said Steve. "He'll hand deliver it tomorrow."
Heather waited until the door closed before she pushed out a full breath. "You skated around the truth on that one."
Steve had already moved on with his thoughts.
"Let's go to Llano in the morning. I'd like us to talk to Sheriff Blake and meet up with Angelina Perez and her mother. What was the grandmother’s name?"
"Rose DeLeon.”
"I don't remember ever meeting her.” Steve tapped his cane in front of him. “Is tomorrow too soon after Hector’s death to pay a visit to Anna and Angelina?”
Heather pulled her phone out of her purse. "One way to find out.”