Page 20 of Tex's Angel

I raise my eyebrows, “Maybe he just has a passive personality, where things happen to him, and he just drifts along waiting for things to resolve themselves.”

“Yeah, that describes him perfectly. Chris just isn’t all that motivated. That’s why he wants me to take him back. He’s used to drifting along in my slipstream while I do everything for him. I don’t think he loves me, he just wants to be taken care of.”

Giving her the side eye, I point out the obvious. “I guess that’s what you liked about him, that he’d just follow you around like a little puppy, making all the decisions in life.”

Her voice turns cold. “Or, hear me out on this, I did most of the executive decision making because my husbandchronically dropped the ball, and I had to. Despite the fact that I went into the marriage wanting a partner, and not a manchild.”

I don’t respond to her remark because I can tell she’s getting aggravated. Instead I go in a different direction. “That sounds about right.”

She sits with a grim look on her face.

“I’m really sorry y’all are having to go thought this situation, Clara. I can’t believe he fucked up a perfectly good marriage by getting with your sister behind your back.”

“I’m just ashamed to admit I never saw it coming. How could I miss that? The weird part is that my sister’s husband is a really nice man. He and Chris were close before this all popped off. He was a good dad that helped her out with the kids and had a decent job. They seemed so happy before she decided to throw it all away on Chris.”

“Why don’t we see if your sister’s husband will talk to us? What’s his name?”

“Wade Duncan,” she says.

“We’ve got to face the fact that he might have an axe to grind with you, for a variety of reasons.”

“Why me? Surely if he’s angry at anyone it’ll be Gina or Chris?” she asks.

I shrug, “It could be that although he hates Chris for cheating with his wife, he might think it’s your fault he strayed, or he might think that his wife would have come back to him if only you had taken Chris back. He might even blame y’all for your sister throwing him out.”

“Always blame the woman,” she shoots me an angry look.

“Hey, I’m not saying I agree with that shit. Just how some men’s minds work.”

“Again, anything is possible,” she mumbles.

I watch her take out her cell phone and text his number. He responds almost immediately, agreeing to meet us.

I tell her, “Let’s meet him in a public place. See if he wants to have coffee with us.”

“He suggested the Spark Diner on route fifty. Is that okay?”

“That’s just fine,” I tell her.

“He’s on his way.”

“Tell him we’re heading that way right now.”

I shift gears and drive us there. The fact that Wade seems so keen to talk to us is a good sign. “I’m hoping that if it turns out that Wade isn’t a viable suspect he might have some useful information on your sister. He might even have intel on Chris, things he’s picked up talking to him over the years that could give us a hint as to who is doing this.”

Suddenly, Clara perks up a bit. “To be honest, they were pretty close before this situation blew his marriage up. They used to be tight at one time.”

***

When we pull into the restaurant parking lot, Clara points to a blue SUV. “That’s his vehicle. He’s already here, waiting on us.”

We jump out of the truck and go into the diner. When Clara starts moving towards a man, I follow her. When I get close enough to really get a good look at him, something that feels like empathy wells up in my chest.

I hear Clara gasp and whisper “Jesus” under her breath.

This man looks terrible. He’s wearing a white, wrinkled button up shirt that looks a bit dingy. His hair is greasy, and his hands are trembling when he raises his cup of coffee to his lips. Whereas Chris looked a mess because he’s lazy, this guy looked like he’d given up on himself.

Clara and I slide into the booth across from him and she says, “Wade, you look terrible. What happened?”

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