Page 90 of The Killing Plains

His hand dropped to her shoulder. It was an innocuous gesture, but the casual intimacy of it felt disquieting, somehow, at the end of an exhausting day.

Colly stood up, setting her glass on the porch rail. “Let’s walk around a little. I’m getting sleepy.”

She led the way down the steps into the damp grass. The storm that afternoon had cleared the air, and the night was cool and fine. The waxing moon hung over the black line of the eastern bluffs,bright enough to obscure the stars around it and bathe the land in a cold, pale light. Away from the house, the breeze was stronger. Colly shivered as she ambled in the direction of the big oak.

Russ strolled beside her, carrying his drink. “You and Avery get anything out of Jace today?”

Colly hesitated. Should she ask if Russ knew about the embezzlement? No. Not yet. She’d talk to Lowell first. “I got an earful about Newlands in general and Lowell more specifically. Hoyer’s not a fan.”

Russ laughed. “I reckon not.”

“He did say Lowell’s drinking is out of control. I’ve noticed it, myself.”

“I know.” Russ sighed. “He fell apart after the divorce. He blames Brenda, but she wouldn’t have had the affair if he wasn’t such a mess. I’ve tried to get him to join AA.”

They reached the oak, and Colly leaned against it. The bark was rough and solid through her shirt. “Is he fit to manage the company?”

Russ’s face was hidden in darkness, but his feet shuffled restlessly. “Did Jace say he wasn’t?”

“I just wondered. I have a vested interest, too, you know.”

“Momma keeps an eye on things. The company’ll be all right.”

“I asked you this yesterday, Russ, but I’ll ask again—could Lowell have killed Denny Knox?”

“Is that what Jace says?”

“He has his suspicions.”

“You can’t trust his word—he hates Lowell.”

“That’s why I’m asking you.”

“I told you, Lowell’s alibied for that day. He was with me in Paint Rock till just before school let out, and with his kids after that.”

“Hypothetically, then. Is he capable?”

Russ swallowed the last of his wine in a noisy gulp. “Anyone’s capable of anything, under the right circumstances. Put me in a room with that nutcase who killed Randy and Victoria, and I’d have blown his head off without thinking twice—if he hadn’t beaten me to it.”

“That’s different. Denny was a child.”

“Lowell can’t be in two places at once.”

“There’s such a thing as a contract kill.”

Russ ran his free hand roughly up and down the back of his head. “Oh, come on, this is Crescent Bluff. Besides, he’s got no motive.”

“Sure he does. Lowell fired Jace, and then Brenda started counseling Denny—all while she and Lowell were in a nasty custody dispute. You don’t think Lowell might’ve been scared that Denny could tell her something damaging, something he overheard from Jace?”

“Like what?”

“Maybe that Lowell drinks on the job,” Colly said. “Jace was my prime suspect. But I don’t think he did it. I have to question who else had cause. I need to rule Lowell out so I can move on.”

“Yeah, okay. I just didn’t expect—I mean, I brought you in to clear Willis, not—”

“You brought me in to find the truth. That’s what you said, anyway.”

Russ emitted an exasperated sigh. “Dammit, Colly, Lowell’s not the killer.”

---