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“And you have no idea about why a young woman would be found in the grave with Travis?”
“None whatsoever,” Pete said. “Travis really loved my daughter and she loved him. I actually think I was jealous of how much she loved him. If a woman was found with him, she had to be a friend or a stranger.”
Stranger.
Had someone been in the wrong place at the wrong time? I jotted down the thought.
“I’ve hid myself away since my wife and I got divorced, taking random jobs here and there for cash, staying off the grid so to speak. How did you find me?” Pete asked.
I smiled thinking of Amy. “I have a relentless investigator.”
“I’m glad she found me and I’m glad to know Travis had nothing to do with my daughter’s death and I wouldn’t be surprised if he died trying to protect her. Could you or the sheriff let me know what you find? I really would like to know the truth of what happened to my daughter.”
“I’m sure the sheriff will keep you abreast of everything,” I said.
After the call ended, my mind kept drifting back to what Pete had said about Travis dying to protect Rita. Maybe he died trying to protect both women.
Ian stood beside me smiling and Mo roamed around sniffing, as Danny went on and on about his plans for the land the garden center had purchased. After I had spoken to my dad about Pete Carson and received a lecture from him for speaking to him before the sheriff’s department could, I called Ian and invited him to join me.
“Mo is coming along but he’s all better now,” I had told him.
“Are you sure?” Ian had asked skeptically.
“I’ll take the fifth on that one,” I said, and Ian didn’t quite understand so I explained, and he chose to come with me and Mo anyway.
Thankfully, the ride proved odor-free, and we now listened to Danny talk about his plans.
Danny stopped suddenly and looked at me. “You probably have some plans yourself for the area.”
“You think?” his wife Kelly said joining us.
Danny reached out and slipped his arm around his wife. “Be careful walking here, I don’t want you to fall.”
Danny was the most thoughtful of my brothers, not that Josh and Thomas weren’t, it just seemed that Danny was more attuned to people rather then himself. Much like… I looked to Ian. For all his hunky, hot looks, he was similar to Danny when it came to people. He thought of others before himself.
“The herb garden section is all mine,” I said.
“You got it,” Danny agreed with a happy grin.
“And I’m with you on the pumpkin patch,” I said. “We can also extend it into part of the lodge’s land and set up a good spooky Halloween hayride and display.”
“My models would make great goblins,” Ian said.
“Really?” Danny asked, surprised. “You would do that?”
“My photo shoots are mostly about beauty. My models would love to be able to become zombies and monsters for a change,” Ian said with a laugh.
“This is going to be great,” Danny said and let go of his wife to grab Pepper in a bear hug. “I can’t thank you enough for this.”
“It’s business, bro, and you’ve worked hard for it,” I said, getting a bit choked up.
“But my dream would have never seen fruition if it wasn’t for you,” Danny said and released me.
“It’s payback,” I said, making light of his appreciation or else I’d get teary-eyed. “It’s for saving me all those times from Josh and Thomas.”
“You always held your own, Pepper,” Danny said.
I laughed. “I had no choice.”
“I’m getting bids on clearing the land and getting it ready for planting in the spring so come summer we have plants to sell and fall pumpkins to harvest. We can build on it from there.”
“Iggy and Monroe asked if they could submit drawings for the area. They’ll be getting their horticultural degrees soon and it would give them good practice. Besides, I think they may make a good full-time addition to the garden center team,” Kelly said.
“I agree,” I said, Iggy and Monroe having worked at the center while attending college and if I was right falling in love along the way.
“I heard that the Carson case has taken a turn,” Danny said.
“A big turn in what direction, I don’t know,” I said. “Though… it’s the female bones found with Travis that I believe will help us find the answers.”
“Maybe the poor girl was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Kelly said and shivered. “It’s frightening to think of what they must have gone through.”
“Enough of murder and it’s gotten colder,” Danny said. “You need to get inside.”
“We have to talk, Pepper, I have an idea for a small café for the center,” Kelly said.
“That’s a great idea,” Ian said. “A place to slip into and get a hot drink and browse the shop during the winter and something cold and refreshing during the summer.”
