Page 81 of Death on Gallows Path

I began my drive toward Lafayette, Indiana, to meet Quincy and his mystery person.

* * * *

The man who strode toward me across the parking lot of the small restaurant off the interstate was slightly shorter and broader than Teague, but the way they moved had an underlying similarity.

A dark-haired woman he’d been standing with followed more slowly.

“Sheila Mackey,” the man said. Not a question. He was sure.

“Yes. Quincy?”

“That’s me.” He shook my hand warmly. “Sheila Mackey, this is Riana. She’s my—” He looked at the woman and I knew before he said it. “—significant other.”

“Quincy,” she said, with mild teasing.

“What? My honey?”

Out of nervousness, I almost blurted out boopsie-doodle.

I felt an almost immediate connection to these two people at the same time I wondered why he’d included her.

Her strong jaw reminded me of—

“I’m also O’Teague’s cousin.” She reached out her hand to me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, to meet someone important to him.”

“I . . .” I didn’t get past that.

“You two go and have lunch,” Quincy said. He looked at her. “Message me and I’ll be back.”

“You’re not staying—?” I asked, when the answer was obvious.

She touched my arm. “Let’s go in. I hear they have good sandwiches.”

“And fries,” he said from behind us.

At the door, she said in a low voice. “Hope you don’t mind. But this gives Quincy plausible deniability.”

“With his department?” Though I didn’t quite see—

“Not with his department.”

With Teague.

There was no time for more, because a young woman immediately led us to a table.

We ordered quickly. The server and menus gone, Riana rested her clasped hands on the table. “Quincy tells me you’re with O’Teague.”

“O’Teague? I—”

“Yes, yes, Teague O’Donnell. Sorry. It’s a family thing. There are two Teague cousins — if you can believe it.” She chuckled lightly. “Teague McMasters is McTeague and Teague O’Donnell is O’Teague.

“We were brought up together. My sister and me, McTeague and his brother and sister, and O’Teague. We went to different schools, but we lived close enough to spend every holiday, every birthday, every celebration together.

“We had other friends, of course, but if there was a problem or anything like that, we all—” She raised her hands slightly. “—closed ranks.”

Her hands dropped.

“I’m the oldest of the cousins. Back in high school, I thought that was a big deal, thought it made me the boss. Or at least not someone who had to listen to the younger ones. I got involved with a guy O’Teague and McTeague kept saying was trouble. The harder they hammered it, the harder I resisted.”