Page 37 of Haystacks and Hoaxes

“And?” Her voice took on an anxious note.

“Yeah, that part was a bust,” he admitted, holding up a finger, “but the police were finally able to get in touch with the elusive Pat.”

She watched him intently, sensing he was about to reveal something important.

“He knew nothing about the walkway repair, and he’s not in a custody battle for any children. It’s true that he’s divorced, but he and his ex-wife have no children.”

“That figures.” She slumped against her pillows. “The guy who talked me out of calling the police was an imposter, and we’re still no closer to any answers.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He drummed his fingers on the side of her bed again. “Whatever is going on, he’s definitely part of it. The police are making it their top priority to find him and bring him in for questioning.”

She listened to his finger tapping until she couldn’t stand it any longer. From the moment she’d been poisoned, she’d been jumpier. More sensitive to lights and sounds. Downright twitchy. Without thinking, she reached for Rock’s hand and squeezed his fingers to silence them.

He squeezed back and seemed in no hurry to let her hand go.

Their gazes clashed again, and something passed between them. Something impossibleto define that left her breathless. It was with the greatest reluctance that she slid her hand away from his.

Decker calledhis dad on the drive home, unsure if his parents had phone service on the current segment of their cruise.

Chet Kingston’s voice rang jovially over the line. “Hey, Deck! How’s it going?” It was clear no one had contacted him yet about Mila’s condition.

Though Decker gave him the shortest version of the story, his father was disturbed to hear that she’d been admitted to the medical center.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s in recovery mode.”Finally.Decker didn’t want to downplay the seriousness of what she’d been through. “It was touch and go all afternoon.” His voice grew hoarse at how easily they could’ve lost her.

“Carla is going to come unraveled when she hears this,” his father groaned. “She’d been acting paranoid lately about Mila’s safety. It’s why she was so insistent about bringing her on the cruise with us. That and…” His voice trailed off.

“Talk to me, Dad.” Decker sensed that his father had more to say on the topic.

“It’s not my secret to tell, son.” Chet Kingston’s voice grew resigned.

“If it’s something that might help me keep Mila alive,” Decker growled, “I need to know.”

“Nah, nothing like that. It’s more personal.” His father drew a heavy breath. “Something Carla should’ve told Mila a long time ago.”

“Oka-a-ay.” Whatever it was, it sounded potentially relevant from where he was sitting.

“On her twenty-fifth birthday, she’s going to inherit a sizable share in an oil company.”

“No kidding?” A sense of foreboding crept through Decker’s chest. Anything involving money could most certainly impact Mila’s safety.

“Her father set up a trust for her when she was born and moved his share of Canyon Creek Petroleum into it. You’ve lived in Heart Lake long enough that you’ve probably heard of the firm.”

“Yep.”Have I ever!Decker couldn’t say why, but his sister’s connection to Canyon Creek Petroleum didn’t feel like a coincidence. It was somehow tied to the danger swirling around her. It had to be.

“Since Mila was less than a year old when she lost her father, her mother became the new trustee by default,” Chet Kingston explained. “Managing the investment portfolio felt way beyond her expertise. She begged her in-laws to take over the trusteeship, but they refused.”

“That’s too bad.” Decker couldn’t imagine being saddled with a responsibility like that with little or no warning. Not everyone was a financial guru.

“Oh, it’s a lot worse than that, son. Mila’s dad was a single parent when he married Carla.”

What?Decker’s heart sank. “You mean Mila’s her stepdaughter?”

“Yep. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but because of the circumstances, she asked her in-laws if they wanted to raise Mila. Again, they said no.”

So, Mila had no biological family left alive. It was going to be a bitter pill for her to swallow. From what he could tell, her relationship with her mother was already strainednearly to the breaking point. “She doesn’t know any of this, does she?”

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