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“Would he have known where you kept it?” he asked.
She sighed again. “He didn’t know I had the box. I was too busy listening to him brag about himself to mention that Candy and I inherited a fortune in gems from our grandparents.”
“Just as well,” Cody said.
“Yes. But it’s cold comfort. I’d rather have lost the money than my only sister,” she said sadly.
“If you have any luck with the diary, please call me. Any time.”
“I promise I’ll do that,” she said.
“And just a thought, you might speak to the bank manager and see if anyone besides you and your sister had a look in that safe-deposit box.”
“That would be what you call a long shot,” she replied with a faint smile in her voice. “But I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask. However, I know all the tellers in the bank, and anyone who goes in there has to sign to be permitted access. The signatures are checked as well.”
“I didn’t know that,” Cody said, and was surprised. He didn’t have a safe-deposit box. He didn’t have anything valuable enough to warrant paying for one.
“We learn something new every day,” she replied. “If you put that man behind bars, please tell me. I’ll throw a big party. You can come and bring all your friends.”
He laughed. It was the first time he’d felt like laughing in the past twenty-four hours. “I’ll make a point of it,” he promised.
HEPHONEDTHELassiter Detective Agency in Houston, Texas, and spoke to Dane Lassiter, who’d founded it.
The other man recognized the name. “You were involved in a case concerning the Kirk brothers,” he said at once. “A murder investigation. One of our operatives, Ty Harding, was there.”
“I remember the case,” Cody replied. “We don’t have that many murders in my part of the world,” he added.
“I imagine not. It’s a small community.”
“Very small. This case,” he added, “involves a playboy whom I think is trying to frame a member of our community for a bank robbery. He may also have plans to eliminate him. There’s a fortune at stake and he’s got the female heir infatuated enough to give him everything she and her brother own.”
“Isn’t that a coincidence,” Lassiter said thoughtfully. “Because my son is investigating a murder in Denver that may tie into your case!”
CHAPTER NINE
“IDON’TORDINARILYshare information on an active investigation,” Lassiter told Cody, “but this case is one of the more disturbing ones we’ve been involved with. I think the man in question killed the sister of his victim in an attempt to gain control of her fortune. The sister was the only other heir, and she was suspicious of the perp. It’s a tragic thing. We’re almost certain he got away with murder, but my son hasn’t been able to find enough proof to take to local authorities.” He sighed. “Besides that, the perp has left town and vanished.”
“No, he hasn’t,” Cody replied. “He’s safe and sound, living in a small Florida town, and he’s trying to convince his latest victim to cut her brother out of the family fortune. Since that didn’t succeed, I’m fairly certain that he’ll have a backup plan involving eliminating our local character.”
“There’s a missing diary,” Lassiter said.
“I know. I just got off the phone with Violet Henry. She gave me the information about your agency’s connection to my case.”
“Isn’t it a small world?” Lassiter mused.
“Very small,” Cody replied. “Is your son able to take time to come up to Wyoming and discuss the case with me? I’m sure that we can afford to pay him.” I hope, Cody added silently.
“Since it’s already an active case, we won’t require additional payment from your department,” Dane told him. He laughed. “I started out as a cop in Houston, Texas. I do know about budgets, even in small towns. I had some contact with sheriff’s offices in rural areas. In fact, I still have contact with them.”
“We’re poor, but honest,” Cody told him.
“I’ll have my son come and see you Friday, will that do? He lives over in Wapiti Ridge, only about an hour’s drive from Catelow. That’s why he’s working on Miss Henry’s case. He’s closer to her than I am, in Houston, where my agency’s headquarters are based.”
“Miss Henry is an interesting person,” Cody said. “I like her.”
“So does my son,” came the reply. “Hell of a shame, what happened to her sister. This perp needs to be stopped, before he can cause any more deaths.”
“I’ll be happy to work with you, any way I can.”
