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The guy was hiding something.
Wanting to get the biggest bang for his investigating buck, Brett watched both men, but asked the son, “Tell me about the meeting you had with Matt the night before he was murdered.”
Eli didn’t flinch or act surprised in the least but calmly waited for his son to answer, so he either knew about the meeting or was putting on a darn good act.
Val hesitated for only a second, long enough that Brett knew whatever came out of his mouth would be a lie.
“I went to Mr. Tyler hoping that he’d become the lawyer for our land management business.”
Though on the surface that was a good excuse, it also didn’t make sense. “After all the years your family has been in business, you suddenly needed new representation? And your ex-girlfriend’s husband was the lawyer you went to?”
“Deputy Rollins”—Eli interlocked his fingers while resting his elbows on the armrests of his chair—“I like to cover all my bases. There are times when it’s best to have a respected man on your team, especially if his father is the attorney general.”
Brett found it interesting that Val’s father felt the need to help his son. Brett would love to get Val alone to grill him, but this was good as well. At least he knew the family dynamics. The twitch in his gut told him there was more to that meeting between Matt and Val than just Val trying to get legal representation for his father’s business. “But going to your son’s ex-girlfriend’s husband, even if his father is the state’s AG, is very interesting. Makes me think maybe something more was going on. Did you still carry a grudge against Matt for marrying Dania?”
“No.” Val’s face flushed. He narrowed his eyes at Brett but said nothing more.
If he pushed a little, Val might slip up and say something useful. “Admit it. You still loved Dania. She’s the kind of woman a guy never gets over. How many years did you harbor a grudge against her husband for stealing her away? Did that grudge turn to hatred and you finally snapped?”
“That’s preposterous.” Eli’s nostrils flared. “I’m going to report you to your supervisor.”
That threat didn’t scare Brett in the least, and he kept his focus on Val. “How did it make you feel to have her reach out to you for help when she was arrested for murdering her husband?”
“She called you?” Eli’s face pinched.
Val lowered his chin to his chest. “Yes, but I didn’t think it would be good business to get involved with her drama.”
Eli tilted his head in agreement.
Val turned to Brett. “Besides, the only two people who knew she’d called me were Dania and myself.” Val rubbed his chin. “You were a good friend of Matthew Tyler’s. You said you’re searching for Dania, but I’m thinking you’ve already found her.”
“How I wish I had.” Brett had pushed too hard. He could fix this. “Her lawyer knew everyone she called.” With that patched over, he might as well throw another bomb Val’s way. “Did one of your buddies kill Matt? Or did you hire a hit man?”
“That’s enough!” Eli slammed his large beefy hand down on top of his desk. “I will not have you making such accusations about my son. This meeting is over.” He rose to his feet.
Brett slowly stood, never taking his eyes off Val, who glared at him yet said nothing in his own defense, neither denying nor accepting what Brett had said. “All right, I’ll leave for now. But I’m looking into your claim, and if I find even the slightest discrepancy, you’ll see me again.”
Val didn’t back down or even blink. Of course, he had his father at his side.
Wanting to push a little more, Brett added, “Is this how it always is for you, Val?”
“What do you mean?” He glared at Brett.
“You get your father to clean up the messes you’ve made?” The dig was meant to rile them both. He wanted to gauge their reactions.
Eli’s eyes narrowed as he stood shoulder to shoulder with his son. “We are a team. You don’t want to cross us.”
The man knew more about his son’s motives than he let on. Val had to have something to hide. Wanting them to think they’d bested him, Brett gave them his aw-shucks, I-had-to-try shoulder lift, like he didn’t mean them any harm. The real game between them had just begun. No one would come out and say it, but Brett had poked a grizzly bear.
If Val had had anything to do with Matthew’s death, Brett knew he’d come after him, and he had to be ready.
Chapter Twenty
Dania didn’t go straight toBrett’s grandmother’s house. Worried that someone might have seen her talking with Brett outside the Royal Academy, she drove to the outskirts of town.
As she came up to the turnoff to the house she’d shared with Matthew, she didn’t look. She couldn’t bring herself to because if she did, she would turn down the road and drive to the house. And she wouldn’t stop at that. She would go inside, which would cause even more trouble.
Instead, she continued down the main road until she made her way safely to Gran’s.
