Page 6 of Texas Scandal

“You already said the...itwas...a man’s body when the deputy refused to discuss the murder,” she restated.

“That’s right.”

“When he first told me the crime was murder, I was worried that it was my mother,” she said, twisting her fingers together.

“There any reason your mind went there?” he asked.

“My father is in jail, so it couldn’t possibly be him,” she said, like she’d just explained her father had gone out for milk.

“When was he arrested and what were the charges?” he asked, figuring this might be an open-and-shut case after all. A father in jail. A piece of paper with her name and address on it. How much danger was she in? Someone could either be trying to locate her or target her.

“Business related,” she said before asking, “How are you associated with this crime?”

“The body was found on my property,” he explained.

She took in a deep breath before nodding.

“He scammed a lot of people out of money,” she continued. “My father, that is.”

“Revenge is a good reason to go after someone. Were you somehow connected to your father’s business?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“What did the note left on your car say?” he asked, remembering that she’d said something about it to Deputy Calhoun. “The one Calhoun took for evidence.”

“It told me to go fifty miles west.” Her face twisted in the same confusion he felt.

“That’s it? There was no reason given.” What were the chances those two events could be coincidental? He doubted it, even though they didn’t seem connected on the surface, either. The body had been buried at least a day or two ago. Did the murderer have a plan to get her out of town, knowing there would be heat? Wouldn’t the person think to check the victim’s pockets? The chances the killing was a random occurrence that was not connected to Melody in some way seemed slim to none. Unless the address was a trail the killer wanted the law to follow.

“No other words were written,” she said. “If I was supposed to figure out some hidden meaning behind the message, then I failed miserably.”

“We could try rearranging the letters later,” he offered.

She gave him a look that said they were two strangers thrown together by circumstance and there would be no later. And then the gravity of the situation dawned on her as she bit down on her bottom lip and pleaded with her eyes.

“Your name was on a piece of paper along with an address in the dead man’s front pocket,” he finally explained. She deserved to know what she might be up against. The lawmen weren’t showing their hand, so to speak.

“That’s awful,” she said, but recognition dawned. “And that’s why Deputy Calhoun came to ask me questions.”

“He was checking out your vehicle, as well,” he pointed out.

“Which means he was assessing whether or not I was a witness, accomplice or a suspect,” she surmised.

“My thoughts exactly,” he confirmed. “But I’d like to add a possibility. You could have been the victim’s target, and someone stopped him before he got to you.”

Melody sucked in a breath.

“I’m just trying to cover all the bases,” he quickly added.

She nodded but didn’t speak.

“The investigation should reveal how long the victim has been...” He checked her gaze and realized she was still in shock and didn’t need a recap of what had happened. “The deputy and sheriff will be able to put together a timeline. It might be a good idea for you to start thinking about how you can prove where you were and maybe think about your own safety when you leave here.”

She nodded as some of the spark returned to her eyes. The truth was that she didn’t have a whole lot of time to figure out her next moves if this office decided to put her on the suspect list. At this point, Tiernan couldn’t say one way or another what the sheriff had up his sleeve. Catching her unaware wasn’t something Tiernan could stand by and watch if he had the power to help, especially when she turned those honey-brown eyes on him like she did just now.

“Why are you helping me?” she asked with a lost quality to her voice. The sound was the equivalent of a knife stab to the chest.

“Because I can and it’s the right thing to do,” he admitted. It was the truth. No one would accuse him of being perfect, but he would never turn his back on someone who needed help.

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