Page 54 of Lie for a Million

By now, the workers had gone. Roper was about to leave the arena, thinking he might come back after the meal and spend more time with One in a Million, when his eyes caught a movement in the shadows near the entrance. His pulse leaped with the hope that it might be Lila. But the tall figure stepping into the light was Sam Rafferty.

Roper’s nerves clenched. Lila had already told him that the agent had zeroed in on him as Frank’s most likely murderer. Was Sam planning to spring a trap on him? Whatever was about to happen, Roper would need to be prepared.

Stopping in the middle of the arena, he waited for Sam to come to him. The agent crossed in the fading light, his shadow falling long across the trampled floor.

Roper kept his silence until the two were within speaking distance. “Is there something I can do for you, Sam?” he asked.

“This won’t take long,” Sam said. “I just want to clarify some things your mother told me earlier. Is there somewhere we can talk?”

“Right here is good enough for me,” Roper said. “For starters, I’ll answer one question before you ask. Whatever you might be thinking, I’m not a murderer. I didn’t kill Frank.”

“Then you won’t mind accounting for your time on the night in question.” Sam kept his gaze level and his voice flat, like a TV cop. Roper had once viewed him as a friend. He should have known better.

“Go on,” Roper said. “I have nothing to hide.”

“Fine. Where were you between midnight and four a.m.?”

“At home. Mostly asleep. My parents vouched for that. They were in the next room. Nobody had a reason to leave the property.”

“Your mother mentioned that you were outside.”

“I was. I heard the dog barking in the night. We get coyotes, feral pigs, and skunks around the ranch. I pulled on my boots, grabbed the pistol I keep by the bed, and went out through the kitchen to see what it was.

“A skunk was on the back porch, eating the dog food. The dog was about to go after it. I grabbed the dog, hauled him to the barn, and shut him in.”

“And the skunk?”

“It ran off. I left the dog in the barn, took the food dish, and went back into the kitchen.”

“And your mother was in the kitchen when you came in?”

“Yes. She’d gotten up after I went outside. I told her about the skunk, and we both went back to bed. You know all this. Why go over it again?”

“I just need a few more details,” Sam said. “You say she didn’t hear you leave the house.”

“I can’t say what she heard. But she was up when I came back in.”

“Were there any lights on?”

“No. But the moon was up. That’s how I could see the skunk.”

“And in the kitchen? Was the light on?”

“No. I could’ve turned on the light, but I wasn’t dressed. I sleep in my skivvies. My mother’s a modest woman. It would’ve made her uncomfortable to see me like that.”

“You’re saying that when you heard the dog, you pulled on your boots and ran outside in your underwear.”

“I needed to stop the dog from tangling with whatever he was barking at. He’s an old dog. If I’d taken the time to get dressed, he could have been sprayed, bitten, or even killed.”

“So even if you’d been dressed, your mother wouldn’t have been able to see what you were wearing?”

“Probably not.” Roper’s patience had begun to fray. “What are you getting at? I told you I didn’t kill Frank. If you don’t believe me, just say so, and we’ll take it from there.”

Sam took a moment, as if to organize his thoughts. “I believe you killed Frank because he was standing in the way of what you wanted. As of now, I have no solid proof. You claim you didn’t kill him. But you could have left your ranch without being heard, killed Frank, then accidentally awakened the dog when you returned. The skunk story may have been true or invented to satisfy your mother.”

“But how would I have known Frank would be in the stable at that hour?”

“That’s an easy question. You could have called him about an emergency—maybe some trouble with the stallion. Or maybe you wanted to talk about your relationship with his wife. Any number of things could have gotten him there.”

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