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But a mother would do most anything for her child.
Dania herself was proof of that.
Hayley had told her she believed Val wanted Dania. Something wasn’t right there. They’d parted ways so long ago. A chill went through Dania. Had Val hired the fingerless man to kill Matthew? But why would he send Hayleyandthe murderer to Brett’s grandmother’s house on the same night? It didn’t make sense.
Plus, why, after she’d been married for several years, would Val hire someone to kill Matthew? Unless he’d lied to Hayley and his reason had nothing to do with Dania. He did tell Brett his meeting with Matthew had been about his family’s business.
What am I missing?
When Vanessa had called Brett, she’d said Walter was a major stockholder in Blue Skies. And that was the company that had forced Merle Skinner to lose his ranch. And Skinner had sent Matthew that odd text, blaming him for everything. Were the Wheelers involved with Blue Skies? Were they the corporation behind it? But surely Vanessa would have made that connection long ago.
None of it fit. Why couldn’t Dania see how all the pieces came together?
She went back to Matthew.
Dear Matthew.
Why hadn’t he told her more about the stress he had been under, especially if his life had been threatened? The last kiss he’d given her had been full of passion, not the kiss of “have a good night at work,” but the kiss of “stay a while.” The kiss of love. He must have known his life was in danger. But he didn’t want her to worry.
A deep desire to see their home one last time surfaced. Chances were pretty high that by the end of this day, she’d find herself back in prison. After she called Vanessa, she would go to their house one last time.
The police were probably watching it, but she didn’t care. She knew a back way in. She wanted to—no,hadto—go.
The truck pulled off the road at the gas station.
She scrambled out of the bed and yelled through the driver’s open window, “Thanks so much for the lift.”
“Hold on a second.” He handed her a couple of dollars. “You look like you might need this. You can probably make your call and buy a candy bar.”
She didn’t want to take it, but she had to. She couldn’t insult the man, who was being so generous. “Thank you very much.”
He gave her a nod, shifted into first, and drove off.
There was one other car next to the pumps, with the driver fueling up.
Dania walked into the station and went to the woman at the cash register. She grabbed some licorice and handed the cashier the money. “Do you have a pay phone?”
The gangly young woman with thick glasses rang up her purchase and nodded to the booth next to the restrooms. She handed her two quarters.
“Thanks.” Dania hurried to the phone. Right now, they were the only ones in here, but that might change in a matter of seconds if the guy at the pump decided he needed something.
She deposited the coins and punched in Vanessa’s cell number, hoping she remembered it correctly. It went straight to voice mail. “Vanessa, this is Dania. I need you to meet me at my house as soon as possible.”
The customer who had been pumping gas came in.
Dania hung up. Not wanting to see another person, she skirted down the aisle next to the door and escaped outside.
Her house was a few miles out of town to the north. She didn’t know how long it would take for her to walk there, but if Vanessa arrived before she did, she’d wait.
Heading down the road, ready to dodge out of sight should a police car come into view, Dania opened the licorice and took a whiff. She hadn’t smelled the aroma of sweet anise mingled with root beer in years. She took a big bite. As she chewed, she nervously glanced behind. No car. She hoped with all her heart Brett would find the truth and stay safe.
* * *
Not knowing if Val’s men would chase him, Brett didn’t drive straight to Hayley’s. Instead, he headed for town. He wanted to stop by the office to tell Gabe face-to-face what had just happened. He had to. For sure, Vanessa would be calling him, and Brett needed Gabe to back him up. He wished he could call Dania and warn her. They were really in for a fight, and things could blow up, which would have dire consequences for both of them.
He made it back to town in record time, but as he parked across from the courthouse, he saw Gabe’s black Tahoe parking across the street.
Brett got out, wanting to catch Gabe before he went into the building, but then he spied someone else in the car. He ducked behind his SUV and waited to see who it was. Maybe Gabe had found more of Big Bertha’s accomplices.
