Page 67 of Lie for a Million

“Frank was a fair boss,” he said. “We always got along. Why do I get the impression you had a problem with him?”

She shrugged. “I was young. He thought he could control me. I could tell early on that it wasn’t going to work, and I told him so.”

“How did Frank take that?”

“How do you think? The man had an ego.” She fell into silence for a few steps. “Hayden called me. He wants to take me to his family ranch and show me some cutting horses.”

“He seems respectable enough. Did you say yes?”

She laughed. “Of course. And respectable has nothing to do with it. I’m a big girl, Roper. I’ve been fending off hot-handed cowboys for as long as I’ve been on the rodeo circuit. I can handle Hayden. It’s the horses that I want to see.”

“Well, go for it, then. But if he doesn’t behave, remember your big brother’s got your back.”

“Sure, I will.” She laughed as they reached the truck. “Let’s head home and hope Mom’s got supper warming for us.”

Pleasantly exhausted, they drove up the road, crossed the bridge over the creek, and pulled in through the ranch gate. As they neared the house, they saw Rachel standing on the front porch.

“I know that look,” Cheyenne said. “Something’s wrong.”

As they climbed out of the truck, Rachel came down the steps to meet them. In the glow of the porch light, Roper could see the hard set of her mouth, the sharp angle of her jaw, a sign of emotions too tightly reined.

“Rowdy’s gone,” she said. “He got in an awful fight with Stetson and Chance before they left for that rodeo in Waco. They wanted him to go along. But he blew up, said he was sick of this controlling family. Kirby got involved. When I tried to stop them, I got pulled into the fight, too. Rowdy said some awful things—curses so vile . . .” She shook her head, her voice breaking slightly. “I slapped his face so hard it hurt my hand. After that, he was quiet. He just packed his gear, loaded his truck, and drove away.”

“When did all this happen?” Roper asked.

“After lunch, a few hours ago.”

“Did he say where he was going?”

“No. But earlier, I heard him telling Chance about a new friend named Judd who’d promised to take him on a road trip.” Her shoulders squared and tightened. “The last thing I said to him before he climbed into the truck was that he was going to hell! How could I say such a thing? I’m his mother! What if I never see him again?”

She seemed to notice Cheyenne for the first time. “Your father’s alone in there,” she said. “Go and see to him.”

As Cheyenne hurried into the house, Roper made an effort to comfort his mother. He knew she was hurting. But it wouldn’t be like her to show it. “You’ve been a good mother,” he said. “After he cools down, Rowdy will remember that. Sooner or later he’ll be back.”

“Will he?” Her work-worn hands clenched at her side. “I’ve raised my children the best I know how. I’d have done anything for them, to keep them strong and keep the family together. Now it’s as if everything is falling apart—as if I’ve been weighed in the balance and found wanting.”

“You can’t blame yourself,” Roper said. “People are human. They don’t always make the choices you’d want them to. It’s called life. Rowdy has a good heart, but he’s young and stubborn, and he’s got some tough lessons to learn. Just give him time. Now let’s go inside and have some supper. Things will look better in the morning.”

But would they?Roper asked himself as he opened the screen door and held it for his mother. When she’d mentioned that Rowdy was in contact with Judd, his instincts had flashed a red alert. Judd Proctor was a hardened criminal and a possible suspect in Frank Culhane’s murder. Rowdy wasn’t just in bad company. He could be over his head in danger.

Despite what he’d told his mother, Roper couldn’t let Rowdy get involved with a man like Judd. He needed to go after the young fool and talk sense into him.

Without knowing Rowdy’s plans, tracking him down would be a guessing game. Only one person might be able to help—the last man Roper wanted to trust.

Agent Sam Rafferty.

* * *

Darrin had checked with his stockbroker. The $100,000 cash that Crystal had demanded in return for her disappearance could be made available on two days’ notice. Still, he hesitated. It was a lot of money to give an irresponsible young woman on a promise. Once she had the cash in her greedy little hands, Crystal could do anything she wanted to, and he’d be powerless to stop her.

Maybe he should demand an arrangement where he gave her a down payment to leave and wired the rest when she contacted him from another state. But why should she trust him to do that?

He needed to talk to her, at the very least. Maybe they could work something out. Maybe she would lower her price for cash up front. Or maybe . . .

The thought that had sprouted in his mind—a way to end his concerns once and for all without paying a cent—sent a chill up Darrin’s spine. Earlier in the summer, he’d paid a stable hand to rig Lila’s car for a freeway crash timed to make her death look like an accident. Only a stroke of fate had kept it from happening. This time, things would have to be different. He would need to do the job himself.

He had some hard thinking to do. Meanwhile, he needed to get in touch with the woman. Using the burner phone he kept hidden in a secret drawer, he found the card she’d given him and entered her number.

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