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Annie made another note and drew a star next to it. “How do the police explain that? Sophia must have fought back.”
He shrugged. “They don’t even try. I’ll have Tiffany make copies of all this for you.” He pressed a button on his intercom.
When his secretary opened the door and he rose to hand her the file, Annie took the opportunity to study him from beneath her lashes. His suit was impeccably tailored, his black shoes as shiny as tinted windows. He had always liked to dress well.
If she didn’t put the past where it belonged, this case was only going to be more difficult. As it was, Lily had already been tried and found guilty in the press, which had painted her as a gold digger, a home-wrecker and worse. The obvious holes in the case wouldn’t matter to those people who’d already convicted her in their minds—people from whom a pool of jurors would be selected.
Annie realized that Cole had resumed his seat and was watching her. “How do you like Denver?” she asked to fill the silence while they waited for his secretary to come back with the copies.
“It’s a nice city,” he said noncommittally. “The winters took some getting used to, but it’s home for me now. I’ve made friends. I’ve settled in.”
No mention of a wife or a family. All Annie could think to do was nod. The gap of six years yawned between them like a chasm with no bridge.
“What about you?” he asked unexpectedly. “I was surprised to hear you left the force. Being a cop meant so much to you.”
Not as much as you did, she thought sadly. Even though she knew he was only making small talk, she considered her reply carefully. “It meant a great deal to my father that I followed in his footsteps,” she said after a moment. “When I was cleared, I realized that being a cop had been his dream, but it was no longer mine.” There was no way to explain how she’d felt, abandoned by Cole, ostracized by her fellow officers and gagged by the code of silence, the blue wall, from doing any more than declaring her own innocence. If her partner hadn’t finally deigned to clear her of being on the take, Annie’s career and her reputation would have been destroyed.
Because of her unwillingness to implicate her partner and Cole’s subsequent lack of faith in her, he had assumed she was guilty. Perhaps it had been unrealistic of her to expect him to believe in her innocence without question, but, if the tables had been turned, she knew she would never have doubted him.
“I was sorry to hear about your father,” he said quietly, bringing her back to the present. “I thought about writing later, but it didn’t seem like a good idea.”
Annie didn’t respond. What more was there to say? Instead she changed the subject. “I’ll want to talk to your mother.”
Instantly, his expression grew wary. “Why? She’s already discussed this ad nauseam with the police, the prosecutor and with me. Is it necessary for you to drag her through it all again?”
“I like to do my own interviews.” Annie struggled for patience. Was he going to oppose her every step of the way? What was he afraid of? “I may find something that’s been overlooked.”
“I can answer any questions you have,” he insisted as his secretary slipped back in and handed him two sets of papers, one of which he gave Annie.
She knew from past experience that he could be bulldog stubborn when he wanted to be. She waited until the door closed again. “When did your mother notice the bracelet was missing?” she asked.
It was his turn to hesitate. Frowning, he referred to the file in front of him. “After a horseback ride at the ranch. It’s all in here. She’d been having some trouble with the clasp. When she realized she’d lost the bracelet, she assumed it fell off somewhere out on the range, that it was gone forever.”
“And did Ryan corroborate her story?” Annie persisted.
His frown deepened. “Ryan wasn’t aware it was missing,” he finally admitted.
“And why not?” It was important Annie put the pieces together, and the bracelet was the most damning piece of evidence the other side had.
Cole sat back in his chair and glared as though she were the enemy. “I don’t know why not.”
She got to her feet. “That’s precisely why I need to talk to your mother. If someone did frame her, they had to have that bracelet with them at the time of the murder. How many people knew she was going to be at the hotel for the banquet?”
“I have no idea. Her room was comped and any number of hotel employees could have known.” He pulled a calendar out of his drawer and flipped through it. “Let me call and set up a time for us to see her.”
“No. Give me her number. I’ll call her and I’ll go talk to her.” Annie refused to let him run her investigation. When he raked a hand through his black hair and she saw the worry in his eyes, she relented slightly. “I know what I’m doing,” she said. “Let me do my job.”
Cole appeared about to argue when his intercom buzzed. Muttering a soft curse, he picked up his phone. After a moment, he held it out to Annie. “It’s Mom,” he said, resignation in his voice. “She wants to see you.”
“So you’re the same Annie Jones my son used to know before he moved to Denver,” Lily said just as Annie was about to take a sip from the tall, sweating glass of iced tea brought by the housekeeper Lily had introduced as Rosita.
The two women were sitting in the shade of the inner courtyard at Ryan’s sprawling ranch house, surrounded by well-tended pots of flowering vines and exotic grasses. Nearby a fountain gurgled softly. The day was warm, but Lily’s comment sent a sudden chill through Annie, and she set her glass down abruptly.
“That’s right,” she replied, grateful her voice was just as steady as Lily’s gaze. “Cole and I were lovers six years ago. It ended badly.” Perhaps her candor would head off any more questions.
The older woman seemed to relax, as if she’d been expecting evasion, even lies, and was relieved to hear the truth.
“You don’t have to tell me anything more,” she said as she selected a cookie from the silver tray. Her engagement ring, studded with precious stones, flashed a rainbow of colors in the sunlight. “I haven’t said anything about it to my son, but I thought I remembered your name.”
“You may have noticed some awkwardness between us,” Annie replied without thinking. “I’m sure Cole resents my presence as well as my involvement in this case.” Now why had she added that? His mother would naturally take his side if she knew the details Annie had no intention of revealing. Heat climbed up her cheeks, heat that had nothing to do with the temperature of the air around them.
To her surprise, except for a flicker of satisfaction, Lily’s expression remained pleasantly friendly as she bit into a delicate lemon wafer. Annie was relieved the older woman wasn’t going to grill her. Taking the opportunity to change the subject, she opened the folder she’d brought with her and uncapped her pen. One by one, she dealt with the list of questions she’d jotted down earlier.
“You weren’t wearing the ruby bracelet at the hotel?”
“No,” Lily replied without hesitating. “I’d lost it before then.”
“But you didn’t tell Ryan. Why was that?”
“Because it was valuable, and I knew he’d want to replace it right away,” Lily explained. “That’s the way he is. I thought someone who knew it was mine might find it.” Her smile wobbled around the edges. “I guess I was right.”
Her explanation carried the ring of truth; Annie figured a jury might buy it. “How many people knew you were going to be at the Austin Arms that night, besides the staff?”
Lily thought for a moment. “I’m sure my name was mentioned in the advance publicity about the banquet,” she recalled. “Anyone reading the newspaper could have known.”
“Did you see anyone that night who might have wanted to cause Sophia harm?” Annie hoped that Lily might remember something, anything, that would give her a new lead.
Lily’s smile was wry. “I’m sure the woman had a few enemies, but I don’t recall anyone in particular other than the names I already gave the police. Do you have a copy?”
Annie nodded. She had a list of everyone registered at the hotel that night, as well as the other names the police had come up with.
“I told them a while ago Sophia had tried to bribe me to stop seeing Ryan,” Lily said. “When that didn’t work, she threatened me. I don’t suppose telling them was the smartest thing to do.”
“Being honest is never a mistake,” Annie told her. “Especially if you’re innocent.”
“You haven’t made up your mind about that yet, have you?” Lily asked, smiling.
Annie surprised herself by smiling back. “I’m working on it.” She was beginning to like Cole’s mother. Despite her own words, she was starting to question Lily’s guilt.
She appeared physically fit enough to have committed the crime, but Annie doubted Lily had the strength to overcome the other woman while remaining totally unscathed herself. Except for one unexplained bruise on her upper arm, Lily hadn’t had any scratches or other injuries indicative of the kind of fight suggested by the condition of the suite.
Thanking Lily for her time, Annie closed the notebook. For now, her questions had been answered to her satisfaction. Lily had heard the rumors about Sophia’s affairs, but she had no idea with whom the other woman had been involved.
As Annie took a healthy swallow of her iced tea, Lily suddenly snapped her fingers. “I just remembered something else,” she blurted. “I don’t know how I could have forgotten, but the way Sophia acted was just so hurtful to Ryan that I must have tried to put everything about her out of my mind.” Her dark eyes sparkled with excitement.
“What is it?” Annie asked hopefully.
“This is third-hand gossip, at least,” Lily said with a nervous laugh, “but you could check with Ryan for more details. He heard it from his niece, Eden.”
“Heard what?” Annie prompted.
“Eden said that Sophia did have an argument with someone at the Austin Arms, where she was killed.”
“The night of the murder?” Annie exclaimed, gaping. “And Eden witnessed it?”
“Wouldn’t that have been convenient?” Lily asked. “No, it was a while ago, and Eden didn’t actually see it. Her husband—well, they weren’t married at the time—he was the one who was there. When the argument turned nasty, he became concerned for Sophia’s safety, so he stepped in. From what he said, she didn’t appreciate his interference. She turned on him like a shrew, demanding that he mind his own business. The whole scene must have been very unpleasant.”
Impatiently Annie waited for Lily to continue. Instead Lily plucked the fresh mint from her glass and sniffed it with obvious appreciation.
“Who was the man?” Annie demanded.
“Eden’s husband?” Lily asked, blinking.
Annie struggled for patience. “No, the man with Sophia.”
“Oh, I thought I told you.” Lily dropped the mint back into her glass. “It was Clint Lockhart. Ryan’s first wife, Janine, was Clint’s sister.”
“Do you think he and Sophia were involved?” Annie asked. “Is he attractive?”
Lily shivered delicately. “I certainly don’t think so, but there’s no accounting for some people’s taste. I guess you could say he was handsome in a very obvious way, though. I didn’t know him well, but he had an arrogance about him that made me uncomfortable. As though he expected women to drop at his feet.”
In Annie’s book, the man sounded like a possible suspect. “I know the type.” She made a note to call Eden. “He doesn’t work here anymore. Do you know why he left?”
Lily shrugged. “I don’t think Ryan ever mentioned it.”
“I wonder if the police questioned him,” Annie muttered as she leafed through the file Cole had given her.
The housekeeper came out and asked if either of them wanted more iced tea. Annie declined absently.
“Thank you, Rosita,” Lily replied. “The cookies were wonderful.”
The older woman was grinning widely as she left. “She’s worked here since she was fourteen,” Lily remarked when Rosita was out of earshot. “And she claims to be psychic. Isn’t that remarkable?”
“Uh-huh.” Having found the appropriate statement, Annie read it in silence. Her shoulders slumped with disappointment. “Unfortunately, Clint Lockhart has what appears to be an airtight alibi,” she told Lily. It didn’t sound as though he could have killed Sophia, but he certainly had been involved with her in some way. He might know more than he’d told the police. Perhaps it would be worth Annie’s time to check him out, after all.
“Do you think Ryan would have a snapshot of Lockhart I could borrow?” she asked.
Lily frowned. “Sure. There are a lot of family photos in the den. I’ll get one on the way out. But why do you want a picture of Clint?”
“Call it a hunch.” Shoving the papers back into her bag, she gave Lily a reassuring smile. “You’ve been a big help,” she said. “I’ll keep you posted.”
“I appreciate anything you can do for my case,” Lily replied, rising. “We’re lucky to have you.” Despite the shadow of worry in her eyes, her smile was warm. “I’ll get you that photo and then I’ll walk you to your car.”
When they got to Annie’s Volkswagen, she tucked the picture in her bag and promised to be in touch.
“Feel free to ask me anything,” Lily insisted. “I think you and my son will make a great team. Are you seeing him again soon?”
“We’re only working together on this one case,” Annie pointed out quickly. “I’m not certain just when I’ll be talking to him next, but rest assured that I’ll keep him informed of any developments.”
“Of course,” Lily murmured.
“Cole told me he’d be going back to Denver as soon as the trial is over,” Annie felt compelled to add, hoping she wasn’t dashing the other woman’s expectations that he would stick around.
“Texas has always been his real home,” Lily insisted. “Maybe he’ll change his mind about leaving.”
Where Cole lived meant nothing to Annie, and she nearly said as much. Then she felt a pang of pity for the woman facing her with such a brave front. If she wanted to pretend her son might stay in Texas, who was Annie to disillusion her? “Wouldn’t that be nice,” she said.
“I’m glad you think so.” Lily’s tone was bland, her expression innocent. Surely, in the midst of everything else she was going through, she wouldn’t be contemplating anything as ridiculous as a little matchmaking on the side, would she?
There was no way Annie could ask without looking like a complete fool. Frustrated, she bid Lily goodbye and climbed into her car. The interior was like an oven, the vinyl seat burning through the thin cotton of her slacks. At least the sudden discomfort was enough to distract her from the awkward and potentially humiliating idea of Cole’s mother playing Cupid.
Considering the circumstances, that would have been a real recipe for disaster.
Three
“Hey, bro, working hard as usual?” Hannah Cassidy asked in a teasing voice from the doorway to Cole’s borrowed office.
Cole looked up from his notes with a grin. He and his sister had always gotten along well. “How’s the wedding business?” he asked.
Hannah owned a shop called The Perfect Occasion. “Business is slow,” she replied. “I got tired of my own company, so I thought I’d come down and visit you.”
“Bull,” Cole responded mildly. “You came to check on your fiancé. All I am is a convenient cover story.”
Hannah blushed, and Cole wondered why he had ever thought she was plain. Perhaps it was because next to their mother and youngest sister, with their dramatic coloring, Hannah had appeared merely pretty. Now he had to admit that love had transformed her. Her gray eyes shimmered with quiet happiness and her normally pale cheeks were flushed a soft pink. “I wanted to see you too,” she protested. “You’re my favorite brother.”
“Your only brother,” Cole pointed out dryly before he relented and got to his feet. “Come on in.” He gave her a brief, hard hug. “How’s Mom today? Have you talked to her?”
A shadow flickered across Hannah’s face. “That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. On top of everything else she’s got to deal with right now, Mom’s worried about Maria.”
Cole clamped down on his annoyance. Their younger sister was as different from gentle Hannah as night from day. For as long as he could remember, Maria had been a huge pain—difficult, lazy and self-centered. Apparently it was too much to hope that for once in her life she’d put someone else’s needs ahead of her own.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “What’s our baby sister done now?”
Hannah closed the door behind her and took a seat, placing her leather purse in her lap. “Am I keeping you from your work?” she asked when she noticed the papers scattered across his desk.
Cole shook his head impatiently. “I’m just making a list of things for the investigator to look into.” He’d paged Annie, but so far she hadn’t responded. “Tell me about Maria.”
Hannah folded her hands neatly on her purse. “Ever since she got back from California last year, she’s been acting odd, even for her.”
“How so?” Cole prompted.
“For one thing, she’s always criticizing Ryan, insisting that he’s just taking advantage of Mom and that he’ll never marry her.”
“Good grief,” Cole exclaimed. “All men aren’t like the jerks Maria hangs out with. Ryan adores Mom. What’s Maria thinking?”
Hannah shrugged. “Mom hardly sees her, and then, when she does, Maria goes on about how Ryan will end up breaking Mom’s heart.”
Cole swallowed a curse. “From the beginning, she’s been dead set against Mom and Ryan’s relationship. Maybe she’s jealous because our mother has found a good man who genuinely cares for her.”
