Page 37 of Texas Scandal

Tiernan knew exactly where the lawyer was going with this line of questioning. He was assessing the risk of the sheriff accusing Melody of the crime.

MELODYGRIPPEDTHEwarm mug, rolling it between her palms. Someone broke into her mother’s place and stole a locket. “Kitchen window is where he got it. Don’t you think this makes it look like someone bent on revenge is behind the crime?”

“It’s a possibility,” Tiernan said quickly.

“Jason was an illegitimate son who didn’t get his due after contacting my father,” she reasoned out loud. “There could be others out there.”

“True,” Prescott said. “Your father had a history of infidelity.”

It was an honest statement.

“That’s right,” Melody said, ignoring the pain in her chest at the admission. She might know who and what her father was, but that didn’t make it sting any less every time the subject came up. “We have no idea if he had more children.”

“There was you, your brother and the victim,” Prescott said.

“The setup makes it look like Jason was jealous and that’s the reason he was coming for you,” Tiernan said.

“It doesn’t quite scan for me, though,” Melody said.

“I tend to agree,” Tiernan stated.

“Going over to Bebe’s place for dinner tonight would most likely help us get a better sense of the kid,” she continued. “His bedroom will reveal a lot about him and his character.”

Prescott raised an eyebrow, so she explained the trip they’d made to the grocer earlier. He frowned two seconds into the account.

“No more visiting potential witnesses,” Prescott said sternly. “Understood?”

“Melody had questions about her half-brother,” Tiernan defended.

“Maybe so,” Prescott said. “And they weren’t out of line except that we have a serious case on our hands and the sheriff is rooting around in the wrong direction. I just don’t need him tying anything else back to you. It doesn’t seem to matter how loose the tether is, he is looking for ways to implicate you.”

Melody nodded as a liquid fireball shot through her veins. “What is it with this guy? Why is he locking on to me?”

“Good questions,” Prescott said. “I suspect you’re an easy target and the guy isn’t exactly good at his job.”

“What if it’s more?” Tiernan cut in. “What if he has a thing against women?”

“My guess is the guy figures everyone in the Cantor family is a criminal at this point,” Prescott said. “The law enforcement axiom, ‘The easy answer is usually the right one,’ applies in this case. Her being jealous of an illegitimate brother who might be stepping in to try and take away inheritance could be a motive for murder. She could be protecting her father if the kid threatened to call the media and claim his birthright.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for my brother to be the one to have...” She couldn’t say the wordskilled Jason. They were too heinous, and she didn’t want to believe there was even the slightest possibility her brother could be capable of murder.

“Yes,” Prescott said. “Keep in mind, he has an ironclad alibi.”

“Right, the trip,” she said. “He wouldn’t have been in town at the time of Jason’s death.”

“And this has been verified six ways past Tuesday?” Tiernan asked.

“As much as possible,” Prescott said.

“What about the break-in?” Melody asked. “My father has a lot of enemies, and there is a strong possibility that someone might be targeting my family.”

“The sheriff doesn’t want to see it that way,” Prescott said. “This case could turn political in a heartbeat.” It dawned on her this could be the reason Prescott had taken the case in the first place. A man of his stature wouldn’t normally take on a small-time client, even with a recommendation from a family as powerful as Tiernan’s. Prescott saw two steps down the road and the potential for a political hotbed. Otherwise, he probably would have handed this off to a junior associate in his firm.

“I have what I need for now,” Prescott said as he closed his small laptop. “If the sheriff contacts you or, heaven forbid, goes for an arrest, call me immediately.”

“Will do,” Tiernan said as Melody tried to process this reality. The one involving her being locked behind bars.

Tiernan walked Prescott to the front door, then locked it behind him before checking his cell phone after a message came in. “We’ll figure this out before it comes to being arrested.”

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