Chapter 47

 

 

Chad Smith was right about one thing: his father wasn’t sitting still for his entitled son being arrested. To give the man credit, he did try. But, ultimately, the only charge that got dropped was that of the stolen auto. Even that cost him. When word got out that one of his burly mechanics had been lured by Chad into threatening Sam and her daughter, the service department revenues dipped sharply. And the wealthy customer, who learned his newly purchased luxury car had been taken across state lines and driven by a killer, backed out of the purchase and took his business to another dealership. It seemed the bigger the fuss Addison Smith made on his son’s behalf, the more notoriety it brought to the business, and the more customers he lost. Texans, in general, are a law-and-order bunch.

The elder Smith eventually backed down when it became clear it wasn’t merely Danny Flores’s word against his son’s. Chad’s own shouted “I had every right” confession had been overheard by many. But even that wasn’t the final nail in the coffin.

The knife Chad had pulled on Evan was bagged and tested and, yes, Lila’s DNA was on it. The tip of the knife matched with the horrible cuts on her forehead. Chad had not been able to resist taunting the dead woman with her own words—Sweet Dreams.

And there was other evidence from the crime scene—DNA on the victim’s clothing and fingerprints on surfaces in the hotel room—proving Chad Smith had been there. All it took was a suspect to match them to. And although the young man would never admit to any part in the crime, there were gas station receipts showing he had been in Taos on the day Lila was murdered and a security camera in the hotel parking area showed his car briefly in the lot.

They had enough to put him away forever, and he had been stupid enough to provide nearly all the incriminating evidence. Evan told Sam and Beau all this over dinner at the Richards’ home, a lovely roast and all the trimmings prepared by Riki, in the English tradition.

Sam was happy to accept Evan’s muted apology for having jumped to conclusions about Danny. They were alone on the back porch of the couple’s little house while Riki put the finishing touches on dessert.

“Danny’s the one you should say that to,” she gently reminded. “We’ll all be at Easter dinner at Kelly’s.”

“I need to cultivate more of Beau’s coolheaded manner.”

“He does have a way with that. I’ve never seen him shrink down in the face of danger, but he always kept all the facts in mind.” She patted his arm. “You’ll get there.”

Sam walked around the back garden for a few minutes, admiring Riki’s daffodils and breathing the rich scent of the hyacinths in bloom. There were still a lot of unanswered questions in her mind, but she wasn’t sure she would be up for what would probably be a weeks-long trial to learn those answers.