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The phone rang, cutting off any chance she could slip off to her bedroom for some personal time. “Hello?” She tossed the compilation of erotic stories onto the worktable.
“Lori, it’s Ben.”
“Hey, Ben.” He was calling to tell her he’d been wrong. He must be.
“I know I must have shocked you the other day. Are you doing all right?”
“Sure, I’m fine.” Just tense and irritable and restless.
“Good. I’m still waiting on more information. Old cases take a backseat in the state system, of course. But in the meantime, I wondered if you could answer a few questions.”
Lori blinked. “Um, sure. But I wasn’t here when the acci—when he was hurt.”
“I just mean some general thoughts. Did your dad have any enemies? I don’t mean Capulet-Montague kind of stuff. Just some guy he never got along with. Maybe a garage owner in Grand Valley he was stealing business from. A customer accusing him of fraud or theft.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.”
“A woman? Was he dating someone, or maybe a few someones?”
She blinked again, struck by how strange the idea was. “Not that I know of.”
“Okay. That’s fine. It’s nothing urgent. I just want you to keep these questions simmering in the back of your mind. Write down anything you think of. Any reason at all someone could’ve been after your father. Money and passion are the two most common denominators in these situations.”
“Yeah, but…” Lori closed her eyes and rubbed her free hand over her face. “Ben, I’m sure it was just some stupid barroom brawl. Nobody wanted anything from him. He didn’thaveanything.”
“You’re probably right, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t consider every angle. I don’t mean to upset you—”
“No, I’m sorry. I can’t say I’m happy about this, but it means a lot that you’re looking into it. I’ll help any way I can.”
“Thanks, Lori. Call me if you think of anything, or if you just need to talk, all right?”
Just after she hung up, Joe roared into the lot with a suddenness that made Lori jump. Dust floated up in his wake while she rubbed her eyes.
“Nothing serious?” she called hoarsely when he descended from the cab.
“Flat tire. Nobody can change a flat tire anymore, you ever notice that?”
Yes, of course she’d noticed, and had said as much the first thousand times they’d had this conversation. Still, the auto clubs paid them thirty dollars a pop to fix a flat, so the decline of manly civilization was just fine with Lori. Joe inclined his head toward the phone.
“Another run?”
“No, just a personal call.” She eyed him as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped sweat from the nape of his neck. He looked old, suddenly. He’d been older than her father by a few years, but they’d been as close as brothers. And Joe had been like a second father to her.
He’d worked in the garage since before Lori was born. But he’d been more than an employee.
Joe had picked her up from school countless times, applauded her achievements, lectured her about boys and drinking. She wouldn’t have been able to care for her father if Joe hadn’t been there to pick up the slack in the garage. She hadn’t been able to pay him enough for essentially running the garage for those first few years, but Joe had never complained. Not once.
And he’d known her dad better than anyone.
“Joe, can I ask you something?”
He shrugged and dropped into a chair. “You know you can ask me anything. Shoot.”
“I’ve been thinking about my dad lately. I wasn’t here those last few months before his accident. What was his life like after I left?”
Joe shrugged. “Same as always, really. Work. Fish. Grab a beer.”
“Was he dating anyone?”
