Page 135 of Call Back

“But Shannon’s sister said she had proof that her husband had been laundering money.”

She chuckled. “Poor naïve Magnolia. You’re just as gullible as poor Shannon. It was all planted. So were the rumors that she and your father might have been working together to take information to the police.”

“Bill was involved?”

“He was the mastermind, my dear. Your father double-crossed him and took his money. Much more than a measly million.”

“He took Bill’s money? Everyone thinks Shannon stole money from her husband’s account.”

She waved her hand again. “Smoke and mirrors. Your father stole from the business. He’d been planning it for years.”

He’d planned to leave my mother, Roy, and me?

“This must be quite hard to hear, Magnolia.”

I fought to keep control, but then I realized this woman might be feeding me a pack of lies. “I want the truth,” I said in a firm voice. “Where’s my father now?”

“That’s anyone’s guess, although rumor has it he pops back into town every few years to get a peek at the people he loved.”

Shock washed through me. Could the man in the ball cap have been my father? I’d assumed he was paying attention to me because he was the killer, but . . .

Rowena stood. “This stroll down memory lane has been amusing, but our time is up.”

“Two quick things,” I said as I stood, hanging my purse on my arm. “What happened to your husband?”

For the first time, she looked affected by her evil tale. “Unlike the others, he didn’t have a vice to keep him in line. When he threatened to tell . . . he met his untimely demise.”

“They tampered with his car?”

She didn’t answer.

“And your vice?” I asked, holding her gaze.

A wicked smile crossed her face. “Your father. Our affair was brief but fiery. If word got out that the esteemed Rowena Rogers had slept with a family man . . .” She tsked. “I used to care about things like that back then.”

The blood rushed from my head. Of all the things I’d heard about him, for some reason this was by far the hardest to accept.

My whole childhood had been a lie.

But I was a grown woman now, and I needed to pull myself together. “Was Gordon Frasier dirty?” I asked. “Did he help cover up Shannon’s murder and my father’s disappearance?”

A sad smile surfaced on her face. “No, poor Gordon was simply caught in the middle of something out of his control, but I hear his nephew is set on clearing his name.”

But was he doing it by devious means? “How do you know about Owen?”

“I have friends in many places. Now you need to go, Magnolia, and get ready for your date tonight. A beautiful man always deserves a beautiful woman, and your man is as stunning as your father was back in the day.”

My mouth dropped open. Who was she talking about? But it made sense that she’d know about my entanglement with Brady if she had friends who kept tabs on Owen. Still, why had she shared so much with me if she believed I was involved with a detective?

She followed me to the door. When she opened it, I walked onto the front step and turned to face her. “Why did you tell me this? You know I could tell the police, and they could arrest you as an accomplice.”

“You’re not going to go to the police, Magnolia. You have too much to lose. One million dollars’ worth. Be a good girl and do the right thing. Don’t end up like poor Shannon.”

With that, she slammed the door in my face.

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