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“Why?”
“It’s personal.”
“To meet Mario, right?”
“The less you know the better.”
“No.”
“What?” Her face crumpled into a look of wounded pride. “I stood up for you—”
“How?” he demanded.
“I told Kat that you wouldn’t hurt a hair on London’s head.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he muttered as he yanked the bandanna from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his neck.
“That’s more than anyone else did for you, and Kat’s still not convinced that you weren’t involved somehow. If you were any older everyone would think you were behind it, but since you’re only seventeen—”
“Why would I kidnap London?”
“For money,” Trisha said slowly and Zach couldn’t help his reaction. His head snapped up and his eyes narrowed on his sister.
“Then wouldn’t I demand ransom?”
“It’s only been a little while.”
“So how would I do it? How would I grab Ginny and London and stow them away God-only-knows where while I got myself cut for an alibi. It doesn’t make sense, Trisha, and everyone knows it. They’re just pointing at me because I was gone that night and there’s no one else to blame.”
“Tell that to Jack Logan.”
“Logan’s a jackass. Oh shit, who cares?” Zach stormed outside and unknotted the reins. Cyclone sidestepped and tossed his head as Zach led him into a stall. Muscles knotted in quiet rage, Zach filled a bucket with water and let the colt drink before rubbing him down. “You’re way off base, Trisha,” he finally said.
Trisha dusted off the burlap and sat gingerly on a sack of oats. Leaning forward, propping her elbows on her knees, she cradled her chin. Her gaze narrowed through the dusty window and she chewed on her lower lip. “Okay, okay, maybe you really shouldn’t be the number-one suspect.”
“Thanks.”
“So who do you think took her?”
“I don’t even want to think about it.” And that was the truth.
“Well, someone had to.”
“Okay, Ginny, then.”
“Yeah, but who was she working for?”
“Don’t know. Hell, do we have to do this—dredge it all up again?” Zach hated to admit it, but he missed the little kid. True, she’d bugged the hell out of him and tagged after him. More often than not he’d told her gruffly to “get lost,” but he worried about her and had trouble sleeping at night just wondering what had happened and if she were all right.
Trisha plucked a piece of straw from the manger. “One word from me and you’d be shit out of luck.”
“How’s that?” With the currycomb, Zach worked on a knot in the colt’s mane.
“I could say that Mario told me you were involved in the kidnapping.”
Zach tensed. Where was this going? Slowly, he resumed brushing the horse. “It would be a lie.”
“Everyone would believe it. You know, there are still a few rumors floating around about you.”
