Page 19 of Whispers Left Behind

“Why didn’t you mention this to me, Gage?” Tobias asked grimly. He clearly wasn’t pleased with being kept in the dark.

“I was in Leeds, Pops.”

“Did you see her Wednesday afternoon?” Kinsley asked quietly, wanting verification of an alibi. Gage was smart enough to understand the reason behind her inquiry. He might have been in Leeds earlier in the day, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t driven home that night. “Or evening?”

“No. Like I said, I was in Leeds, securing some bull semen.”

Gage’s alibi was easy enough to verify. As for Tobias, Kinsley had noticed the man’s limp. It would have been physically impossible for him to have chased Rachel from the back road through the woods and onto Lionel Cooper’s farm. Add in the cough that seemed to plague him, he also wouldn’t have had the energy to finish the job.

“Mr. Zayn, are you close with your daughter?”

“I love my daughter, if that’s what you’re asking.” Tobias had taken some tobacco out of the tin can and stuffed some of the contents behind his lower lip. Once the container was tucked back into his shirt pocket, he gave a little more insight into their relationship. “Louise and I don’t always see eye to eye on things. She would have had me sell this farm years ago, but she doesn’t understand that this land is our family’s legacy.”

Gage shifted so that he had a view of the farm. Kinsley had difficulty reading his body language. Did he agree with his mother or his grandfather?

Kinsley continued to ask both men similar questions to those posed to Sebastian Hanson, not coming up with any different responses to aid in the investigation. She concluded her inquiries, thanking both men for their cooperation. She tacked on additional appreciation for the coffee before shaking Tobias’ hand. As she made her way down the wooden porch steps, she noticed that Gage made no move to join his grandfather in the house.

It wasn’t until Kinsley heard the screen door slam and had closed the distance to her vehicle that she caught sight of Gage making his way over to her. The older dog wasn’t paying attention to either of them. Palming her keys, she leaned against the side of the car.

“I didn’t want to say anything in front of my grandfather.” There was concern and something else in the man’s voice that she couldn’t identify. “He’s been…off.”

“How so?” Kinsley asked, wanting more clarification on such a claim.

“Not himself. I don’t know. Just…distant.”

Gage appeared reluctant to share something he believed was pertinent to his sister’s death. After all, he had deliberately sought her out. She waited patiently, hoping that Tobias wouldn’t decide to rejoin them.

“It’s not what you think, Detective,” Gage hesitantly replied, taking a moment to peer over his shoulder. He sighed in resignation and ran a hand through his hair. “Pops had a gambling problem. Or I should say…he has for years. It’s the main reason why there is tension between him and my mother. Pops almost lost the farm twice that I can recall, but he’s always managed to dig himself out of the hole. I thought he finally learned his lesson the last time. Now? I’m not so sure.”

“And why is that?”

“Pops has been making some unexpected trips into town these past few months.” Gage grimaced, as if his grandfather leaving the farm was a rarity. “Ever since a farming accident a couple of years ago, Pops usually has me run the errands. Truthfully, I think the boredom is getting to him.”

“Are you suggesting that Tobias took money from someone?”

Halliday wasn’t the place where a bookie would run his business. The town was lucky even to be marked on a map.Tobias would have had to go into a larger town or city for that type of action.

Had Tobias gotten involved with the wrong people?

Kinsley couldn’t fathom such information having anything to do with Hanson’s murder. Bookies and their muscles for hire wouldn’t care about staging a murder. They wanted their point made loud and clear.

“Pops loves this place. Lives for it. If he thought Rachel’s death was on him…”

“I appreciate the information. I’ll make sure to look into it.” Kinsley shifted until she could tug on the door handle. Before Gage could step back, she hoped to receive one more answer. “Mr. Baird, who is the man standing near the barn?”

Gage appeared surprised at the question, but not apprehensive. He didn’t even take time to peer in that direction, though the old dog had certainly taken an interest in the individual. It was Kinsley’s experience that dogs were fantastic judges of characters.

“J.J. Callahan. He helps out around the farm now that Pops has taken a step back.”

Kinsley would have closed the car door and requested to speak with J.J., but the chime of her cell phone cut off her directive. She pulled her phone from her pocket to find a message from her partner. Any more questions would have to wait. Wally was in the middle of performing Hanson’s autopsy, and Alex was requesting she head back to the city immediately.

There was a break in the case.

Chapter Nine

Alex Lanen

October

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