Page 89 of Only One More Lie

Dan glanced at his wife, concern and sadness in his gaze. “You always did love our gatherings there.”

“I heard Calvin and Mary had some conflicts with some people in the club.” Andi picked up a butter cookie and nibbled on it. The treat took her back to her childhood visits to grandma’s house.

“Unfortunately, they did.” Dan rubbed his jaw. “But they had every reason to have butt heads with Baylor and Barney.”

“Who are Baylor and Barney?” Duke asked. “We haven’t come across their names yet.”

“Baylor Boykins and Barney Holder.” Dan’s gaze darkened. “They were on the board several years ago, and they liked to call all the shots.”

“Why did Calvin and Mary have a dispute with them?” Andi asked.

“Those men were up to no good,” Dan said. “They wanted to appear altruistic, like they were doing things for the good of the community. But all the while they were actually just watching out for themselves.”

“Is that confirmed?” Duke asked.

“As confirmed as a supreme court justice.” Dan offered a confident nod. “They were misappropriating funds is what I believe the official term is.”

“What about Edwin Standard?” Andi asked. “I thought he was involved in that.”

“He was also,” Dan said. “But since he passed, I didn’t figure I’d bring him up.”

“What did the club do when they found out what was going on?” Duke asked.

“The club never made those facts public,” Dan said. “We thought it would bring too much negative attention to us. Then again, if we don’t tell people, then we don’t have transparency, and that doesn’t make us trustworthy either. Their actions put us in a difficult position, but that was ultimately what the board chose to do.”

“So the Burrows’ suspicions were correct?” Andi asked as she wiped cookie crumbs from her fingers. “Baylor and Barney were skimming money to have their own lavish parties?”

“That’s right,” Dan said. “But since then, we have new leadership, and the club’s not like that anymore.”

“Do you think that Baylor and Barney were upset enough to want to do something to the Burrows?” Andi chose her words carefully, not wanting to set Jan off, especially if she thought they were still alive.

Andi waited to hear Dan’s answer, hoping she and Duke might finally find one of the elusive leads they desperately needed.

CHAPTER 47

“Oh no,” Dan said. “Everyone loved Calvin and Mary. Everyone except Calvin’s brother.”

Those words got Duke’s attention. “You mean Tim?”

Dan nodded. “That man was nothing but trouble. He was always coming around asking for money. Couldn’t hold down a job. Drank too much.”

Andi shifted on the couch, her coffee seemingly forgotten. “Did things ever escalate between Calvin and his brother?”

“Escalate?” Dan scratched his head. “I can’t say if they did. But Tim always seemed to be giving Calvin and Mary trouble. He couldn’t ever stand on his own two feet, and he always came crawling back to his brother to ask for help.”

“But things never got violent, right?” Duke clarified.

“Not that I know of.” Dan sighed and shrugged. “But who knows what happened behind the scenes.”

Duke stored that information away. As Jan began to wander the room, Duke saw the weariness on Dan’s face and knew it was time for him and Andi to go.

“Thank you so much for everything you shared.” Duke rose and picked up his coffee mug. “And thanks for the coffee, of course.”

“No problem.” Dan’s expression tightened as he glanced at his wife.

“We should be hitting the road before the storm gets much worse.” He nodded toward the door.

Andi stood also and followed Duke’s lead.

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