Page 116 of Death on Gallows Path

“Your lawyer? Not the legal team for the Dailey Car Washes, but a lawyer strictly for you?” The other time he’d mentioned lawyers . . . A suspicion bloomed. “That neighbor you said had legal issues with Damon over the craft beer business, what’s his name?”

“None of your business.”

“It was you, wasn’t it. Damon cheated you out of money over the craft beer business. You’re paying for that lawyer to fight him and then he also threatened the family business. You must have been enraged.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, it was him. That’s why he wanted me to get close to Damon and find out what was going on,” Blanche said. “Behind enemy lines, he said.”

“You told your wife to . . . to —”

Clara saved me from using an accurate term by slipping in, “Cozy up to Swindell.”

“I told her the situation, that’s all. Told her what was at stake for us, for the family, for the business, for her.”

Like me, Clara turned to Blanche for a reaction.

She looked back without emotion. “He didn’t make me. He asked. It sounded kind of interesting. I said yes. No big deal.”

Her desire to make him squirm now belied her would-be casualness.

I clamped my mouth closed, fearing I’d sound like a toy motor boat if I let out the butbutbutbutbutbuts tumbling through my head.

“What did you find out?” Clara asked.

“Not much. He’d go on and on about being smart and a great businessman, but he whined that he couldn’t figure out where all his money was going. Never came right out and said he stole from people or anything.

“I told William this could take time, but he’s impatient. That night when Damon forgot we were supposed to meet after he left Zepke’s, we went to dinner at the Tavern, then William got suspicious that Damon must have something else going on.”

Clara and I both turned to William.

“All I did was follow him,” he said defensively.

“See anybody else at Gallows Path?”

“No. But I didn’t kill him. “Why would I? My cousins and I beat back his scheme to bring in that car wash chain to try to drive us out of business, the lawyers were making good progress on getting the rundown on the craft beer scam. I might not get all my money back, but he’d pay in other ways.”

He seemed to realize he’d made himself sound more suspicious by talking about making Damon pay.

He blew out a breath and tried to swagger. “None of your business, anyway. With your nosy questions—”

Clara interrupted him sternly. “Until the murder of Damon Swindell—”

“Swindle,” he muttered under his breath.

“—is solved, there will be more questions. But we have to go now—”

“For that dog training at Zepke’s.” He puffed up, aiming to look bigger and broader. “I know about that.”

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

We were on our way back to my house, with just enough time for a drive-through fast-food dinner, then pick up Gracie and LuLu for training.

“William Alsup was trying to intimidate us,” Clara said with indignation.

He’d partially succeeded, too, saying he knew where and when we’d be, particularly after class when we would leave in the dark.

“Using the name Swindle could point to the family grudge still being strong.”