Page 94 of Roaring Fork Wrangler

“One thing led to another, and pretty soon, Briana told himshewas pregnant, and they got engaged. They were married, and a few weeks later, she suffered a miscarriage.”

“I see where this is going and have to ask; what does this have to do with me?”

“Brianna’s sister works at Hoak’s. She was there the day you met with Pete.”

“That’s when he showed me the family tree.”

“You got it.”

“She wanted me dead because she thought I’d discover the secret?”

“And Joe would leave her.”

I hung my head. “Fuck. That was worth me losing my life over?”

“In my experience, anyone who commits murder, attempted or otherwise, isn’t exactly focused on the punishment fitting the crime, if you knowwhat I mean.”

“She’s insane.”

“Yeah, well, let’s hope the DA doesn’t think so. I’d hate to see her get off for this. Not to mention what she did to her son.”

“What will happen to him?”

“He’ll be charged the same as she will. Actually, his will be worse since her role was as an accomplice.”

“What made her confess all this?”

Decker’s eyes bored into mine. “I’m fucking good at what I do. Also, my hands aren’t tied in the same way Pete’s would’ve been. For example, I might’ve led her to believe her son’s sentence wouldn’t be as lengthy if she gave a statement as to her role in all this. Of course I phrased it in such a way that I had no control over what the DA or judge might do.”

“Wow.” I shook my head.

Decker cracked another beer open. “I gotta say, the kid is pretty fucked up too, though. I asked if people called him Buck, and he laughed.”

I raised a brow. “Do they?”

“No, and that’s the sick part. He said it just to fuck with you.”

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that a guy who’d take a pickax to a man’s head and leave him for dead was just as messed up as his mother.

“The East Aurora PD took over at that point, and I got myself out of there. That statement, along with him meeting up with you outside the estate’s perimeter, lends itself to premeditation.”

“What about the father?”

“I don’t believe he played any part in it. Pete agreed and planned to tell him he was free to go. I was gone before he did.”

“Why did my mom go to Colorado? Did the mother say who she left with? It couldn’t have been on her own.”

“All she said is that after she gave her the letter, Patricia got up, walked across the lawn in the opposite direction from where she’d left her car, and climbed into another one. Brianna said it was too far away and too dark for her to see the make or model. She also said she didn’t see who was driving.”

I told him about the entry in Miss Cena’s journal and how she’d written she hoped she’d done the right thing.

“No doubt she had a hand in this. The other entry Gray sent over was a big help. When I asked Brianna if she had any idea what it meant, she said one of the last things your mom said to her was that her brother—that would be JD—was pushing her to get an abortion.”

I poured another shot and downed it.

“Are you supposed to be drinking that much with the medication you’re on?” Deck asked.

“You started it.”

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