Page 56 of Murder at Rescue Ridge

Mrs. Wayne lowered her gaze before setting the dogs down. When she looked up, Nikki would have sworn there was a tear gathering in the woman’s eye. “I know exactly what you mean.”

Lukas Wayne lied to his employers, he was a philanderer, but was he a murderer?

A lying, cheating bastard like him might have overplayed his hand.

“I’m actually more worried than I’d like to let on,” Mrs. Wayne admitted. “Given everything that’s happened.”

“Harrison Guidry was my father,” Nikki said. “I’m Nikki Guidry.”

“Oh, dear,” Mrs. Wayne said. “I’m sorry about your papa.”

“Thank you,” Nikki said. She thought about what a house like this might cost in today’s market—a lot. Upkeep with the landscaping would add a significant amount. Based on Mrs. Wayne’s hot pink manicured nails, she wasn’t out there weeding and digging around in the dirt. The lawn looked more like a golf course for how green it was. And those tiny dogs cost a pretty penny, too. Buying them from a breeder was one cost. Vet bills on those little angels could rack up. Several of Nikki’s friends had purebreds like these during high school. Their mothers were always complaining about the expenses.

Mrs. Wayne shook her head as fear flashed behind her eyes.

“I checked his phone,” she said. “My husband’s.” She shot a knowing look at Nikki. When the possibility of an affair crept in, so did thetemptation to check phone messages and e-mails. “Lukas was working on a deal with a head mucky-muck of a construction company.”

Nikki tamped down the panic rising inside her, doing her best not to give away her reaction to this bit of news.

“They were arguing about something, but I never could get the gist of what they were saying,” she said. “It was like they were speaking in some kind of code or something.” She threw her hands up.

“Could we take a look at the phone?” Conrad asked, a little too eagerly.

Mrs. Wayne balked. “That’s my husband’s private phone. I shouldn’t have even looked at it myself. There’s no way I’m going to spread his business for the world to see.”

The worldfelt dramatic. Did she suddenly realize she was speaking to a Sturgess? And that her husband’s dealing could implicate him in a crime? The panicked look on her face said she did.

“If that’s all,” she said, ushering them to the door.

“What about those fishing holes?” Nikki asked, not wanting to leave without the information they’d come for. Though, she’d gained the knowledge that Heath might have had direct involvement with Lukas Wayne on a deal. The news was unsettling, to say the least.

As much as she wanted to confront her stepfather about it to find out the truth, what would she say? And, more importantly, would it make life worse for her mother?

“Oh, right,” Mrs. Wayne said. “Those.” She dug into her pocket forher cell phone and then brought up the map feature. “He usually likes going to these spots.” There were three. One was located about forty-five minutes from his home. The second was located two hours north. And the third was near Austin.

“Does he have any specific order that he likes to hit these spots in?” Conrad asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “Depends on a lot of factors, like time of year and weather conditions.”

“Thank you for your time,” Conrad said. Based on his tone and probable experience as a fisherman, he had an idea.

“I’m real sorry about your papa,” Mrs. Wayne said to Nikki once again, taking a few steps toward the door.

“Your kind words are appreciated,” Nikki said before being rushed to exit.

Once they were back inside the truck, and there was no threat Mrs. Wayne could overhear any part of the conversation, Nikki said, “I can’t help but wonder if the construction company she spoke about belongs to my stepfather.”

Conrad tapped the button to turn on the engine and then slid the gearshift into drive. As he pulled away, he said, “I had the same thought.”

“I can’t ask him outright,” she said.

“I know,” he agreed with compassion in his tone. “I hope it’s not too late to ask Lukas Wayne about his business dealings.”

“It’ll all come out eventually, right?” she asked but it was more statement than question.

“What’s done in the dark almost always comes to light,” he stated. “Based on the other deals we’re seeing, dummy corporations could be set up as cover. It can take years, even decades, of digging to find the truth. It is part of what’s making figuring out the inheritance so complicated.”

“Why haven’t you hired additional lawyers and accountants?” she asked.

---