When I finally turned in, I’d worked through most of the list from Rhett. I ruled out a lot, although the list was long enough to still leave me plenty to work with. I kept coming back to Steve McCree, who was Lucy’s dad. That Ivie’s dad put her best friend’s father in jail seemed a significant issue—especially a best friend she mentioned she’s barely seen since leaving Greendale in her rearview mirror.

I think it’s about time to see what Lucy’s been up to all these years. Maybe she can answer some questions for me. If I remember correctly, when Lucy was about fourteen, her dad got into some trouble and just up and left. Looking over the records from Rhett, good ole’ Steve had, in fact, been arrested on DUI and domestic charges, and Rhett’s the judge who sentenced him to six months in lockup followed by a year or two of probation. He stayed in Greendale until his probation was up and then disappeared from here.

I look at my alarm clock and realize it’s almost eight. Ugh. I groan a little, knowing I’ve overslept from staying up late doing research. I grab my cell off the bedside table and punch out Trudeau’s number.

“Trudeau.” He sounds like he’s already in the office, judging from the background noise. “Hey, Chief, just letting you know I overslept this morning; may be a little bit before I get to the office. I was up late working on the Judge’s case.”

I can hear him taking a sip of coffee. “Listen, don’t sweat it. In fact, since Rhett Davis personally asked for you, I expect you to give this case your full attention until you get it solved. And if that means working from home where there are fewer distractions, that’s fine. You have your work laptop. I want this wrapped up neatly before he retires. Just pop in the office when you need to until this is taken care of. My orders.”

I groan a little. “Well, sir, I appreciate that, but I have other cases too...” There’s a slight pause before he responds. “Of course you do, Brigg, when I said you’re the best I meant it. But for now, your focus is Rhett Davis and yes, even his daughter. We can handle the other cases until this one’s complete. And Brigg—think with your head, not anything else, okay?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes sir. You can count on me.” I hang up the phone. Great.

“Well, Brigg, get to it. Don’t keep them waiting,” I say to myself as I walk to the bathroom and turn on the hot spray of the shower. After, when I’m rubbing my hair dry with the towel, my thoughts turn to Ivie.

It’s about time to call her and see if she’s still mad. I’ve officially been ordered to stick to her, at least until this is over. She’s not going to like it. Not one bit.

 

 

“Yeah, Mom, I think he’d be impressed by a formal retirement party. It’ll be fun. Have an official dinner and get someone to speak about all the things he’s done for the community over the years, his passion for his job and his family. And then end the night with a little music to dance to.”

We both laugh, because Dad used to love to take Mom dancing. And every now and then, it’s nice to dress up and have fun. This is the perfect excuse to do just that—to celebrate my father. He’ll be surprised.

We’re finishing breakfast in the dining room while Mom’s jotting down all the plans. “I’ve already reserved Paris Hall at Greendale Community College. That room’s pretty much the likes of a ballroom, even in this little town.”

She beams at me, and I know she’s very proud of her plans for dad. I put my hand over hers and smile back. “It’s going to be great, Mom. He’ll love it.” My phone dings, and I see a call from a local cell number. I assume it’s Sterling.

“Excuse me, Mom, I have to take this.” I get up and walk toward my bedroom as I answer.

“Hello?” I’m rewarded with being right, and I feel my stomach tighten at the sound of his voice. Fool woman that I am.

“Hey, Ivie. Look, I know you’re still ticked from our last conversation, and trust me, so am I. But right now, I think we need to put our heads together. Can you come by the ranch sometime today? I’m working from home—Chief’s orders—until I get this case solved.”

I pause for a minute. “Yeah sure, anything to help Dad.” He waits for a second, and I hear him sigh into the phone.

“This case isn’t just about your dad, Ivie, and you know it. It’s also about you.” And with that he hangs up. I pocket my phone and grab my keys and purse, then walk back down the hall and tell Mom I have to run a few errands. We pretty much put the finishing touches in motion this morning, anyway. Mom just needs to make some calls to confirm some things.

I walk quickly to my Jeep, suddenly compelled to get to Sterling’s ranch as soon as I can. He’s right—someone’s after me, too. Or so it would seem. And my bet is it’s the same creep who tried to kill me before. My nerves are stretched tight as I mentally prepare for a fight. What in the world could make this person hate me so much? And hate my dad? I guess we’ll all find out soon, ready or not.

I turn the Jeep in the direction of Sterling’s ranch then turn on the radio and hear an old country love song, which pathetically sends me right into thinking about how I’ve never stopped loving Sterling. I know we have no future. All we need to do is figure out who’s threatening me and dad and then we can all get back to our normal lives…I hope. My phone rings as I get close to Valley B Ranch. I glance at my caller ID display on my car. Lucy McCree. That’s ironic. “Hello?”

“Hey, Ivie! I heard you were back in town! I’ve missed you! We need to get together soon to catch up. It’s been way too long.”

I smile and say, “Yeah, Lucy, it has. Would you be able to do dinner tonight? I’d love to catch up.” Lucy pauses then says, “Yeah, that should work. What time?”

“How about seven o’clock? Maybe you could swing by and pick me up at my parents? I’m staying there for a few weeks while I’m here.”

“I’ll be there. I can’t wait!”

“Me either! See you soon, Lucy.” I hang up just as I’m pulling up Sterling’s drive. It’ll be fun spending some time with my old best friend. We haven’t seen each other or talked much since I left this town behind.

We used to do everything together. She’s the sister I never had. We may not get to see each other much or talk as often as we’d like, but we always have each other’s back and kept each other’s secrets. She and I are so much alike. Where one of us was, the other one of us was nearby. I smile to myself thinking back.

Then a sad wave falls over me. She doesn’t know all my secrets. She never knew about me sleeping with Sterling all those years ago, much less the baby. Or that I loved him more than I ever thought I could love a man.

“Loved,” I whisper to myself. Yeah, right, try love in the present tense. Seeing him again confirmed that.

I park and reapply some lipstick in the rearview mirror. I see anxious eyes looking back at me. Haunted eyes. “Let’s do this!”

 

 

Here she comes, beautiful as ever, walking toward my front door. Shiny dark brown hair, chin held high, and in her green eyes, I see determination shadowed by pain. I open the door as she reaches the porch.

“Hey,” she says as I hold open the door for her and she walks inside.

“Hey. Can I get you coffee or tea before we get started?” She sits down on the couch, lays her purse beside her and puts her hands in her lap.

“No, thank you, I’m fine right now.”

I nod. “Okay, let’s get started then.” I pull my computer over to the coffee table and sit down on the couch, careful to keep our thighs from touching.

“First off, I’d like to say I’m sorry for how I reacted when I found out about the baby. With all the things you could’ve been hiding from me, I didn’t even have that on my radar.” She shifts but doesn’t look at me.

“Look, I get it. I’ve been dealing with it on my own for a long time. I understand, and it’s in the past. No need to dwell on what was, and what’s never going to be. Let’s just focus on what we’re dealing with now.”

I want to say more, but she’s said her piece, so I drop it—for now.

“I’ve been going over the list that your dad gave me of people that could hold a grudge against him. There are several worth looking at, but I was wondering if you could tell me about Lucy’s dad.”

Stunned, she looks at me and says, “His name is Steve, and he got arrested for drinking after a big fight he and Phoebe, Lucy’s mom, had. He was driving around after apparently drinking a lot at the bar, and a cop noticed him crossing the line, and he was taken to jail. When he got out of jail, all they did was fight, and eventually he left altogether. After his probation was finished, he left town. But I don’t see how that has anything to do with my dad.”

I shrug. “It may have nothing to do with it, but I just find it strange he was such a good husband and father and then he was busted for behavior that seemed really out of character. Then your dad threw the book at him. Once he’d paid for said crime, he leaves not long after. If he was as loving of a husband and father as they claimed, why the sudden change in behavior and then abruptly disappearing? None of the other people I’ve looked into so far have exhibited that kind of pattern.”

I meet her questioning stare. “I admit, it’s strange. But sometimes strange is just that. Sometimes when people fight, they decide to leave. Sometimes leaving is just the easier and safer way for everyone.” Ivie’s staring out the window.

“Who are we talking about now, Ivie? You or Steve McCree?” She looks back at me but doesn’t say a word.

“I’ll see what else I can find out. I’m a little hazy on all of that because we were barely fourteen years old when that happened. I remember Lucy being very upset, but she never told me what they were fighting about, just that they were fighting. We may have shared most of our secrets, but that’s one I wasn’t privy to. I’m actually having dinner with her tonight, so I can see what she’ll tell me.”

We spend a couple more hours going over the information we could find on other names from the list. When we come up empty, Ivie checks her watch and says, “I’ve got to get going so I can be ready when Lucy gets there. I told her to pick me up at my parents’ house at seven. Let me know if you find anything else. And I’ll let you know if I find out anything more from Lucy.”

She slings her purse over her shoulder, and I grab her hand before she can walk away. “Hey, just be careful, Ivie, okay?” She looks at my hand and then at me.

“Always am.” And with that she’s out the door and headed to her Jeep.