Page 21 of One in a Million

“How was your relationship with your father?”

Darrin dabbed at the coffee stain on his shirt. “The same as a lot of sons. He was the big man, with big expectations of his firstborn. Nothing I did was ever good enough for him. But I was growing into his shoes, and I sure as hell wasn’t ready to lose him.”

Sam was weighing the wisdom of revealing what he’d overheard before ringing the bell, deciding against it when another presence entered the room—a slender woman in a yellow sundress. Her strawberry blond hair was brushed to a sheen, her pretty, elfin face dabbed with touches of makeup.

Sam had to blink before he realized it was Simone. He stood and introduced himself. She extended a manicured hand, the fake nails a soft pink.

“Welcome to our home, Agent Rafferty,” she said. “Please excuse the mess. I haven’t been at my best lately. Morning sickness, you understand. I think I must have what Kate Middleton had. I heard about it onThe View. What can I do for you?”

“You can talk to me while I ask you a few questions. It won’t take long. Then, for now, I’ll be out of your way.”

“I’m at your disposal, Agent.” She settled onto an ottoman facing the sofa, smoothing her skirt over her knees. “May I have my husband here while you question me?”

Sam would have preferred to question her alone, but he would make a point of that later. For now, he would play the good cop.

“All right for now,” he said. “But this probably won’t be our last interview.”

“Fire away.” She gave him a charming smile. “I’m sure Darrin has already told you that we were here, sleeping, the night his father was murdered. We didn’t know anything until the next morning.”

“Yes, he did,” Sam said. “I’d like to ask you about your relationship with the family. What about Frank?”

“My father-in-law saw me as a baby machine, to usher the next generation of Culhanes into the world. He knew I was expecting, and he was happy about it. But he insisted, on no uncertain terms, that if it wasn’t a boy, I was to turn right around and start on number two.”

“That’s a lot of pressure on a woman.”

“Yes. Like something out ofThe Tudors. Did you see that TV show?”

“I missed that one,” Sam said. “What about the women in the family?”

“They’ve tolerated me, as if I were somebody’s pet. But now that Frank’s gone, things are about to change. Darrin is Frank’s firstborn, his only son. He, not Lila, is entitled to that ranch. When she’s gone, we’ll betheCulhanes.”

“What about the horses?” Sam asked.

“Those horses cost as much in work and expense as they earn,” Darrin put in. “We could sell them for enough to double, even triple our cattle herd. But we’re going to have to get Lila out first, and we’re going to have to do it legally,” he insisted. “That’s the only way to make sure she’s gone.”

“Unless there’s a quicker way,” Simone said. “Like finding proof that she was already sleeping with Roper McKenna while your dad was still alive.”

“Was she? Is she?” Sam was instantly intrigued.

Simone shrugged. “I don’t have proof. But the two of them are hand in glove, always giving each other looks and talking with their heads together. That doesn’t happen overnight. We could make a case for it.”

“As far as you know, was Frank faithful to Lila?” Sam asked. “I’ve heard rumors to the contrary.”

“Dad liked flirting with younger women. I’m not aware that he took it any farther. He liked things stable on the home front, and Lila was always there. She kept his records, handled clients, did a lot for the business. He always came home.”

“But that doesn’t entitle her to the ranch.” Simone’s restraint broke. “We’ve got to get her out of that house, Darrin, any way we can. And you’ve got to be a man about it—for me, for our baby, and for our future family. Lila is sleeping with that man. I just know she is.”

The conversation had come full circle. Sam shut down the laptop, stowed it in his briefcase, and laid two of his cards on the table. “This is enough for now. I’ll be talking with you again. Keep yourselves available. If you think of anything you haven’t told me, my cell number is on my card. Call me anytime.”

“How long do you plan to be around?”

“Hopefully as long as it takes to find out who killed your father. But that remains to be seen.” And it did. The trail could go cold, or he could wear out his welcome with the Culhanes. Either outcome would reflect on his job performance, but it would be the failure to find Frank Culhane’s killer that would leave the deepest mark on him and on the bureau in Abilene. “I’ll show myself out, thanks,” he said.

Leaving them together, he stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. Jasmine uncrossed her delicious legs and stood. “Out through the rabbit hole?” she asked with an impish grin.

“No comment. Let’s go.”

Back in the Jeep, with Sam at the wheel, they drove back through town and took the road to the ranch. “My brother and that little wife of his are a piece of work,” Jasmine said. “They remind me of why I never got married a second time. Her family’s from old money, going back to the first oil discoveries. Simone was the youngest of a big family. They sent her to finishing school, catered to her every whim, and now she thinks she can get whatever she wants by pouting and stamping her little foot. I already feel sorry for their baby. And you heard how she’s pushing Darrin to be a man and get Lila out of that house by force, blackmail, or whatever means necessary.”

---