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Preston, too, added his opinion. While he wasn’t a lawyer, he knew a lot of people in town. After last night, she decided that Preston didn’t have anything to do with Sam’s death. Ariel suspected a jealous person had spread the rumors about his involvement.
What Ariel was having a hard time grasping was why these men were so accommodating to her? While they’d asked Beth some questions about how she’d ended up working in the vet’s office, they mostly focused on Trent’s case. Ariel was sure Beth was disappointed that neither man tried to put the moves on her, though there had been a few times when Benson, in particular, almost seemed to flirt with her. Too bad he would then turn to Preston and ask him a question instead of continuing to interact with Beth.
Ariel refused to address the fact that a hint of jealousy had crept in when the men showed interest in her friend. It must have been the two glasses of wine she’d had.
Ariel eased out of bed and headed straight to the shower. Both Beth and she had the weekend off. Jeffrey Armstrong and Chris Smothers—who worked at the clinic—would be on duty. The doctor and his wife took off Sundays, but the clinic remained open in case people needed to bring in their sick pets. Naturally, both vets remained on call.
Ariel planned to head to the prison first thing this morning and then do a little packing at her brother’s house. So far, she hadn’t found anything at his place that pointed to Trent being involved in anything illegal, but she hadn’t really been looking for evidence.
Preston and Benson seemed convinced that Sam’s death was a warning to Trent more than an attack against Sam. If jealousy had been the issue, it would point to another woman. However, they had noted that women didn’t usually stab their victims. They tended to use other means, like administering poison or using a gun. The whole idea gave her the shivers.
Ariel hopped in the shower, and once the water warmed, she enjoyed the soothing flow that cascaded down her body. As she dragged the soap across her skin, images of sharing a shower with Preston or Benson entered her thoughts. She only allowed herself to indulge in that fantasy for a moment, because they’d never be interested in her in the long run. Preston seemed like the type to want a woman who took chances, and that was definitely not her.
As for Benson, she could see him with a doctor—one who was as focused on her job as he was on his. Not that Ariel wasn’t dedicated to working with animals, but it wasn’t the same as doing legal or medical work.
Stop it.
She’d told herself many times there was no place in her life right now for a man—or men. Ariel huffed out a laugh at that thought. She might never have considered a ménage relationship, except that it was rather popular in Wildwood, Montana. Why? Because the population was predominantly men.
One time in college, she’d actually decided to give that type of sexual experience a try. While pleasurable, she found the men to be jealous of each other. Not only that, male egos were hard to deal with. It took too much mental energy to make sure she kept both of them happy. After that, she swore off being with two men. It wasn’t until dinner last night that she decided she might entertain that concept again—just not with those two. Not that they’d ask her.
Since Ariel didn’t need to spend the whole morning in the shower, she turned off the water and stepped out. After drying and dressing, she headed to the kitchen for some coffee. As soon as she returned from the prison, Ariel would call Beth to set a time for helping with the chore of packing up more of Trent’s household items.
If her brother gave her any clue what trouble he might have been involved in, she and Beth might need to do a little brainstorming instead.
Ariel brewed and drank her coffee. She then pulled on her jacket and headed out, hoping that Betty’s battery would start up again in the chilly morning air.
Her luck held out once more, and her car started. When she arrived at the prison, she went through the visitation procedure again. For some reason, she had to wait fifteen minutes before seeing Trent. When the guard finally came for her, who should be walking out with him but Benson Granger, and her heart dropped to her stomach. What was he doing here?
She jumped up. “Benson?”
He strode over to her. “Ariel.”
“What are you doing here?”
The guard stepped next to her. “Are you still wanting to see your brother, miss?”
“Yes, but give me a second.” The guard nodded. “Why are you here?” she asked him again.
“Probably the same reason you are. I couldn’t sleep last night. I was thinking about Trent’s case.”
That was so nice of him. “Did you learn anything?”
“Yes, but how about you go speak with Trent, and I’ll wait here? We can talk afterward.”
She was overwhelmed by his consideration. “Thank you.”
Benson sat down, and she went with the guard to see her brother. Even though Trent wouldn’t have listed Benson as being on the approved list of visitors, she imagined he’d called in a few favors. His family might own half of Wildwood, but his cousins, the Westons, were just as powerful, if not more so, in Midvale. Most likely his uncle, the sheriff, knew the warden and called in a favor. Though it was possible the ADA didn't have to be on any list. What did she know?
Once the guard opened the door to the interrogation room, she entered.
Trent looked up. “I didn’t get the memo this was visiting day.” He didn’t sound all that cheerful, and she didn’t understand why. His only hope of freedom was with her help—and maybe with Benson’s too.
His attitude kind of pissed her off. “Benson and I are only trying to help, you know.”
His eyes widened. “So it’sBensonnow? Have you two hooked up?”
That was a joke. “No. I ran into him at a restaurant, and we talked about your case. He seems to think that you might be innocent, after all.”
