Page 74 of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Such insistence from someone who had no claims on the Brewer property. What was it about the land that had her so doggedly devoted to keeping it in the Brewer family? I suspected Rachel had been visiting the property, if that bouquet of cut flowers was any indication, and she’d positioned herself to keep doing so, staying close after all these years…but why?

“Rachel,” I said softly, treading carefully, “why haven’t you moved away from this farm?”

An indignant look flashed in her eyes. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“There’s some reason you stayed,” I insisted. “Why?”

She shifted her weight, then made a move to walk back into the barn. But she abruptly stopped, keeping her gaze on the fields. “Bethany was murdered there. I pay my respects by looking over the land.”

Dixie gaped at her in disbelief. “The house and the barn look like they’re about to collapse. From where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like you were lookin’ over it at all.”

Dixie was right. Even if the flowers that had been left at the Brewer property were hers…it still didn’t make sense. “That’s not what you were looking over, was it?”

Rachel turned to me, her eyes still wide, and her chin trembling now. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“You were looking after something else besides the structures on the property.”

“I promised Lila that I’d watch over the land until the day I died,” she said, “and that’s what I intend to do. If you sell it to someone else, I can’t do that.”

“But Rachel,” Dixie said. “What difference does it make whether Lila—or now Magnolia—owns the land or not?”

“Because,” Rachel said, her words rushing out, “it’s a sacred place. We can’t have somebody buildin’ a house on it, or a boat dock on the pond, or who knows what they’ll do there.”

“What does it matter?” Dixie pressed. “The house and the barn are falling apart. Chief Montgomery had to go inside with Magnolia and her sister-in-law to make sure they were safe when they checked it out. Those buildingsshouldbe torn down and replaced.”

“Bethany died there,” she reiterated. “Her memory needs to be protected.”

“And how is her memory being protected?” I asked. “Lila left when she was eighteen years old, and to the best of anyone’s knowledge, never came back. Instead, she kept the land and ignored it.”

“She didn’t ignore it,” Rachel snapped. “I’ve been watchin’ over it.”

I lowered my voice and asked in a soothing tone, “By placing flowers by the creek?”

She went stock-still.

“Dixie and I looked around the property,” I said. “Granted, not everywhere, but we were trying to figure out how the person who killed Bethany got onto the property unnoticed, and then we remembered that your property had once connected to Lila’s, and you said there was a path between the two places.”

Rachel looked like she was about to bolt back into the barn, but then she let out a sigh and drooped against the barn door. “There’s a lot that’s gone unsaid, and maybe it’s time it came out.”

Defiance hardened her eyes and she stood up straight. “But I’m not tellin’ it to you. There’s only one person I’m gonna tell this story to, and that’s Magnolia Steele herself.”

“And how do we know you’re not lyin’?” Dixie challenged. “How do we know you’re not just sayin’ that so you can meet Magnolia Steele and get her autograph or something?”

“Because I’m not a fan of Magnolia Steele,” Rachel said, venom in her voice. “Sure, I admit to followin’ her, but I did it because Summer’s right: I loved her mother, only Lila wasn’t strong enough, not in the end. But I still protected her secret, because I promised her that I would until my dyin’ day.” Her chin lifted. “The only person I’ll tell is Magnolia Steele herself, so you get her here. And then she can decide who else will hear the story and where to go from there.”

What was she hiding? Why did she feel the need to protect Lila? Had Lila killed her own sister and Rachel had protected her secret all these years?

I didn’t know what to do, but deep down Idid. I just didn’t want to do it. Magnolia seemed so fragile. I wasn’t sure if shecould handle meeting with this woman and hearing her truth, especially if her mother was the one who’d killed her aunt. But at the same time, it wasn’t my call to make. My job was to find the facts and then deliver them to her. She was coming back to town anyway, which would present her with an easy opportunity to meet with Rachel. But that didn’t mean she’d agree to do so.

“It’s not my decision to make,” I said. “It’s Magnolia’s. If she does agree to meet with you, what is your availability for the next few days?” I sure wasn’t going to tell her that Magnolia was coming to Sweet Briar tomorrow. I still didn’t entirely trust this woman.

“I’malwaysout here,” Rachel said. “Taking care of my animals. Watching over Lila’s land. You know where to find me.” Then she turned around and went back into the barn, letting us know she was finished with us.

Dixie and I headed back out to the car, not saying anything until we’d left the property.

“Do you think Magnolia will meet with her?” she asked, her voice hitching with worry.

“I don’t know,” I said. “But even if she does, I’m not sure it’s a good idea. You saw Magnolia yesterday. This might be what pushes her over the edge. Still,” I added when Dixie started to say something, “it’s not my call to make. It’s Magnolia’s. So all we can do is tell her and Belinda what we found out and let Magnolia decide for herself.”

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