Page 86 of The Killing Plains

“Oh, that.” Jace looked annoyed. “I went to talk to him when I found out he was bad-mouthing me around town. But he wouldn’t listen.”

“I heard you sucker-punched him.”

“He made threats. I got a right to defend my family.”

“What kind of threats?” Colly asked.

“I told him I’d go public about the embezzlement unless he stopped spreading lies about me. It was right after Denny got arrested for that school fire. Lowell said he was buddies with the judge, and he’d pull strings to get Denny locked up if I didn’t watch out. Denny was a punk, but I’m damned if I’ll let someone like Lowell Newland blackmail me.”

“Seems like the blackmail worked,” Colly said. “You kept quiet, and Denny got probation with mandated therapy.”

“I kept quiet for Jolene.” Jace laughed suddenly. “And Brenda Newland ended up being Denny’s shrink. Lowell must’ve been shittin’ himself.”

“Why?”

“Brenda would have him by the short hairs if Denny told her about the embezzlement.”

“Denny knew about that?”

Jace shrugged. “I didn’t tell him, but he could’ve overheard me and Jolene arguing about it. She was pretty pissed off.”

This angle had not occurred to Colly before. It opened up a new set of possibilities.

Avery’s mind was apparently on a similar track. “That’s why Jolene thinks Lowell’s involved in Denny’s murder?”

Jace nodded. “She don’t reckon he done it himself, but he coulda paid someone.”

“You must’ve been just as worried as Lowell about Denny blabbing,” Colly said. “Maybe you teamed up to kill him. Innocent men don’t run—and they don’t need burner phones. We found the receipt for one in your house.”

She expected an explosive reaction to this, but Jace seemed amused. “Sure, I got a burner—I run an off-license meat store out of my garage, for Chrissakes.”

“Where’s the phone now?”

“In my truck.” Jace jerked his head eastward. “Y’all won’t find nothin’ more interesting on it than the price of pork tenderloin.”

Colly and Avery exchanged looks.

“Suppose Lowell says you embezzled, and he didn’t find out till after the fact,” Colly said. “Can you prove any of this?”

“Hell, yes. I knew Lowell would scrub the records, so I printed hard copies. They’re hidden someplace safe.”

“Where?” Avery demanded.

Jace folded his arms. “Someplace safe. Y’all can have ’em after I see Jolene.”

Colly opened the car door and rummaged in her purse. She pulled out the plastic evidence bag containing the torn manila envelope. “Hiding stuff in a freezer’s the oldest trick in the book, Jace.”

“If you found that, you know I’m telling the truth.”

“It’s empty.” Colly shook the bag to illustrate.

Jace’s expression of annoyance morphed into one of almost comical astonishment. “What thefuck?”

“You didn’t take the papers?”

Jace shook his head. He was still staring at the evidence bag. “Thought if I got collared and Russ Newland found them on me, he might burn ’em. Figured they was safer where they was.”

“Who else knew this was in the freezer?”

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