Page 222 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“He’s a fisherman. I just wondered if he could have seen something the day my parents died.” She stared in Saija’s face. “Don’t tell Max though. He’ll try to stop me. He thinks Greg would do anything to make me suspicious of him.”

“I think I know where he is, but I’m not sure Greg can help you.” Saija led Becca through the forest toward the sound of chainsaws. They found Greg standing at the edge of the clearing where the contestants were preparing for the one-man log cutting contest.

He saw them, and his eyes widened. “You’re off your leash?” he asked with a sneer.

“No leash.” She gave him a friendly smile hoping to diffuse the anger she sensed still bubbling under the surface. “I was looking for you.”

“For me? Loverboy is apt to be mad.”

“I wanted to ask you if you’ve heard anything in the village about my parents’ accident. Any rumors of what could have happened and why. Or if maybe you saw something out on the water that day.”

“Would you believe me if I told you?”

“I’d listen.” She gazed into his face with as much candor as she could muster.

He shrugged. “I’ve heard Robert Jeffries might have had something to do with it.”

“Robert Jeffries! Mrs. Jeffries son?” She’d expected him to rail against Max and that she’d have to weed through his accusations to find anything helpful. To have him toss such a choice tidbit out without a fight made her fumble for what to say.

“Yeah. He thought he was going to get a cut of the estate when the old lady passed on. When your dad arrived, he told your grandmother that she’d done enough for the Jeffries family without giving them more Baxter money. Your grandmother called a lawyer and was going to cut Robert out of the will.”

“How do you know all this?”

“My sister’s friend worked for the attorney.”

“But why would he kill them if he was already out of the will?”

“Revenge, I guess.” Greg shrugged.

“He showed up one day shortly after I arrived. He acted like he owned the house.” Becca hadn’t liked what she saw of him. “Why would Gram put him in the will in the first place? And howwould he know who I was? Someone tried to kill me the day I arrived.”

“Maybe he recognized you.”

“Not likely when it took my own grandmother a little while.” Still unconvinced, she chewed on her lip. Robert’s guilt sounded too easy.

“Rumor has it that he might be your dad’s by-blow. Maybe he was trying to eliminate all the heirs, one by one.”

Becca gasped. “You’re lying,” she whispered.

He grinned. ”I just wanted to see if you were listening. I was just kidding.”

“Some joke.”

“Sorry.” He didn’t look penitent. “It shouldn’t affect you since you wouldn’t be related to him. I presume you’ve heard the truth of your own parentage.”

“It’s not the truth!” He seemed to be enjoying rattling her too much, and she wanted to slap him. Her parents weren’t the people she thought they were. All her life they’d preached to her about living her life in a transparent way so people could see Christ through her. To find out they had all these secrets in their past was nearly enough to rattle her own faith.

He just shrugged. “I know it for a fact, Becca.”

She froze. She’d asked God to show her the truth, but now she wasn’t sure she wanted to face it. Maybe he was lying again. “How could you know the truth?”

“I overheard your mom talking to Will,” he said simply. “I was ten years old and playing in the folly. She told him she was going to have his baby but that he could never tell Mason.”

Becca’s throat closed, and she couldn’t utter a word. A cry fought to be heard, but all that finally emerged was a squeak. “No.”

“Sorry, but it’s the truth.” He shrugged.

She thought she saw actual sympathy in his face. And there was no mistaking the honesty shining in his eyes. He was telling the truth. Her legs felt weak, and she sat on a stump. “I see.”

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