Page 118 of The Talk of Coyote Canyon

His uncle twisted around to look at the house as if he was afraid Lynn was watching or listening. “I don’t know,” he replied. “I think we all need to take some time to reflect and decide how we should move forward.”

“Aunt Lynn comes before me.”

“She’s my wife. She comes before everyone and everything.”

Hendrix shook his head in disgust. “Even what’s right?”

Probably alarmed by the tone of the conversation and the pervasive frown on Stuart’s face, Leo glanced between them. “What’s happening?” he asked. He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but he could tell it wasn’t what he wanted. “Hendrix is coming back, right? Everything will be the way it was?”

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Hendrix told him. “But it definitely won’t be the way it was.”

Twenty-Nine

Hendrix knew who’d sabotaged the well. It had to be Jordan. He’d been able to check everyone else off his list. After leaving his aunt and uncle’s place, he’d swung by Burgers and Shakes and found Rocko there. And wherever Averil had gone earlier, she was home now. Since he’d had to go past the Gerharts’ to reach Ellen’s, anyway, he’d looked for her car one more time and, lo and behold, there it was.

Rocko had been so appalled that Hendrix would ever believehecould be the one who’d damaged the well that he’d led him directly to the alley, where his Explorer was parked, and waved Hendrix forward. That he’d had no qualms with such a close inspection had come as a surpriseanda disappointment. After the inconsistencies in his story, he’d seemed like the best candidate—especially after Hendrix had eliminated his aunt and Ben.

Averil, on the other hand, wasn’t even aware Hendrix had checked her tires. The sun had been setting by the time he realized he had the opportunity.

Still, he felt confident, despite not having the best light, that her car wasn’t the one they were looking for. Her tires were too bald to leave such a detailed impression inanymedium.

Armed with the evidence he’d collected, and the determination to travel to Libby on Monday where he would, hopefully, find the tire that matched the picture, he was eager to tell Ellen what he’d found. He knew she wouldn’t be happy to hear about his argument with Lynn, the loss of his job or his conversation with Stuart. It couldn’t feel good for her to learn that the man she was starting to care about had people in his life who werethatopposed to their relationship. But at least he was able to bring her some good news, too, and tell her he was homing in on the person responsible for causing so much extra trouble recently.

When he pulled into her drive, he’d been expecting to go in, have dinner and a long conversation—and maybe more. The “more” was what excited him most.

But after he parked and walked to the house, he couldn’t get her to let him in. Although her truck was where she usually left it, he got no response when he knocked—then pounded—on the front door.

Was she angry he was late for dinner? As he was driving away this morning, she’d texted him to say she’d make chicken enchiladas and told him to come at seven thirty.

He checked his watch. He was a little late. But, surely, she wouldn’t be that upset over ten minutes. And it was strange that all the lights were off. It didn’t look as though she’d been cooking enchiladas or anything else.

What was going on? She hadn’t canceled their date...

He circled around to check the back door. It was locked, too, and she didn’t answer when he knocked there, either.

“Hendrix!” a male voice called.

He’d just pulled out his phone to call her again but turned to see Brant crossing the field, coming from his and Talulah’s place. “What’s going on?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Brant replied. “Talulah called me from the diner a few minutes ago. Said she was worried about Ellen and asked me to look in on her.”

“Why would she be worried?”

“I guess Ellen hasn’t been answering her calls and texts—not since your uncle stopped by the diner.”

“Stuart was at the diner?” His uncle hadn’t mentioned that when they’d spoken today.

“Apparently.”

“Why would he go there?”

Brant grimaced. “Talulah said he wanted Ellen to take a DNA test.”

Shit.Stuart had chosen this, of all times, to finally reveal his doubt to Ellen? “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“That’s what Talulah told me.”

“How did Ellen take that?”

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