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“Maybe.”
“Well, just remember I don’t take handouts. Work it is. But if you’re serious about the venue, I’ll give you some ideas.”
“You drive a hard bargain. I’ll take you since the real Big Red is out of commission.” I could tell instantly she wasn’t interested in having me do anything for her. Well, she had another think coming. At minimum I would make certain she had decent transportation. James would return. However, I had plans on visiting him wherever the bastard was holed up. I’d ensure he knew he wasn’t to bother the lady ever again.
“That won’t be necessary. Megan is on her way.” She smiled slyly and walked further inside. “You know, I’ve never been in Walter’s office.” She studied the various photographs my grandfather had secured to the wall. “Walter was an interesting man. You remind me of him quite a bit.”
“I do, huh?”
“Yeah, you even look like him. Does your father?”
“Not at all.”
With her nose wrinkled, she winked and continued going from photograph to photograph. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Yeah, I know and the way he died continues to bother me. Let me ask you a question. Did Walter ever mention being threatened by anyone?”
She narrowed her eyes as she walked closer, noticing the note. “Not really except for he told me once that people were gutless but held grudges for extended periods of time. Since I’d told him about James, I’d thought that’s what he was referring to. And of course he and Hank had a strange relationship but he certainly never acted like Hank was threatening him.” She came even closer, picking up the piece of paper.
I studied her reaction, not necessarily surprised she wasn’t unnerved after reading it. After all, it was obvious she’d been through hell and back. However, I didn’t know her and given her ex was an enemy, I needed to be cautious with what I told her. A part of me hated myself for thinking of her as anything but innocent, but the few times I’ll allowed my guard to fall, I’d been shocked by the outcome.
And not pleasantly so.
“So you know nothing,” I pushed, hating certain thoughts forming in my mind. I was always on guard mostly because trust wasn’t acceptable in my business.
“No. Your grandfather was kind to me, but he wasn’t the kind of man to offer insight into his business or discuss whatever issues he was having. He was a private man.”
“That is true enough. Tell me. How did it come to pass that you came to live here?” Shit, there was an edge to my voice I hadn’t intended. “I’m just curious.”
She seemed taken aback, more likely by my tone than the question. “Okay. Walter ran an ad in the paper for parttime help with the horses, which I read. And in truth I was desperate by that point. It seemed no one was hiring. I lied to him about my past experience with the magnificent creatures, although I adore horses and always have. It’s funny because he saw right through me, requiring me to tell him the truth. Somehow, I poured out my heart right on the spot, which wasn’t like me at all. Your grandfather had that way about him. He made me feel comfortable.”
“You lied to him,” I repeated. There had to be answers somewhere in the mix.
“Yes, I did because up to that point, I’d applied at thirty locations for various positions. The fact I hadn’t been in town long didn’t help. Neither did the fact I was living in a motel at the time. I had nowhere to go and barely any money left. I just needed to get on my feet.”
“And how did you end up in Colorado?”
Huffing, she stared at me incredulously. “What is this, twenty questions?”
“I just need to know. There’s something going on I don’t like.”
“O-kay. Because I got a goddamn bus ticket trying to get as far away from James as possible.”
“With no money.” I realized I was grilling her but I needed to know what I was dealing with all the way around. Still, I could tell she was taking every word out of my mouth the wrong way. Or maybe I was just a fool.
“Well, you see, once upon a time I had a decent job as a receptionist for an accounting firm in the little town of Fort Mill, South Carolina after leaving James. Or I should say after he tossed me to the curb. I thought it was far enough away from the asshole that he’d leave me alone. Little did I know after a couple years of leaving me the fuck alone, he’d rear his ugly head, demanding I lose my job.”
She hesitated, as if waiting to see if I’d take back my question.
I wanted to hear her out, mostly because I needed to know how to handle James. And the fucker would learn he could either head out of town of his own accord, or in a casket. There was no in-between.
“The poor dumb asshole running the place didn’t put up much of a fight,” she continued. “After that I was evicted from my small but lovely apartment with no notice, the furniture I’d managed to purchase tossed out onto the street, half of it stolen by the time I managed to get to it. Thankfully, I’d cashed my last paycheck prior to James strong-arming someone into allowing him to clean out my bank account, or I wouldn’t have had shit to my name. And, thankfully, I’d hired an attorney to try and force the bastard to pay child support, which was likely the reason he came after me in the first place. Either that or the fact I’d threatened him with going to the press because he had no intention of caring about his own daughter.”
“Why does he now?”
“I have no clue. That’s what I’ve been asking myself. What does he have to gain by fucking with me?”
“A very good question.” A good one indeed. The fact too many of the details weren’t adding up was something I couldn’t ignore, no matter how I felt about Jessie.
