crazy,” Dana said.
“Yes, it is. And she’s living with you and your husband and your children.”
They stood only inches apart staring at each other, but Hilde felt as if there was a mountain range between them, one neither of them might be able to climb.
“I’m worried about you, Hilde.”
“Really? Because I’m scared to death for you. She killed Rick to keep him from telling me the truth tonight. He’d called me and said he’d tell me Dee’s secrets, but I got there too late.”
Dana was shaking her head and Hilde saw that her friend was never going to believe her. Until it was too late. “I should go.”
Hilde nodded. “Watch her, Dana. I think she’s after Hud.”
Dana gave her a disbelieving look as if Hilde had finally lost her mind, then she turned and left.
Hilde closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She hadn’t even realized she was crying until she tasted the salty tears.
Chapter Eight
“You can’t blame yourself for Rick’s overdose,” Dana said the next morning at breakfast. Hud had left early, called in on some new case. Her “cousin” had been trying to console her. “There are just some people who can’t be helped no matter how hard we try.”
Dee heard something in Dana’s voice. “Like Hilde? I feel responsible for this rift between the two of you as much as I do for what Rick did.”
“Don’t. Hilde has just been under a lot of strain lately. I didn’t realize how much. Then to find Rick like that...”
“So Hilde was the one who found him?” Dee felt her blood pressure rise like a rocket. That bastard. After their horseback ride, he’d threatened to blow her plans out of the water if she didn’t include him. “Why would she go over to Rick’s?”
Dana looked away to tend to one of the kids. “Apparently he was upset after you broke things off with him again. He called Hilde, wanted ten thousand dollars to tell her things about you.”
If she could have killed him again, she would have made this time much more painful. “Why would he do that?” she wailed. “It must have been the drugs talking.”
“I’m sure it was.”
“So what did he say when she got to his motel room?” Dee asked, trying hard not to let her fear show.
“He was already dead.”
Dee tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. “I’m sure he just wanted a shoulder to cry on.”
“But to ask her for ten thousand dollars for information about you...” Dana said, and looked at her.
Dee saw the doubt beginning to bloom and knew she had to nip it in the bud and quickly. “I told you Rick had turned to pills,” she said, and began to cry again. She’d learned to cry on cue so this was the easy part. “Well, the truth is...Rick had a drug habit. I’m so ashamed.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Dana said, quickly coming to her side.
“How could I have fallen in love with a man like him? I didn’t know for a long time. Once I realized...I tried to help him. But it was too late. He’d blown all his savings on his habit. It wasn’t love that brought him all the way to Montana or me. I was too ashamed to tell you this, but the real reason was to ask me for money. When I turned him down, both for money and his feeble attempt to get me back, I guess he was desperate. He knew Hilde didn’t like me.... She was probably ready to give him the money for any kind of dirt on me she could dig up. Oh, Dana, I’m sorry. I know she’s your best friend.... See why I feel so badly about all this?”
“But you shouldn’t. You haven’t done anything. We can’t control the way other people react.” Dana sounded sad.
“We need to do something to cheer us both up. I would love to go into Bozeman. We could have lunch, maybe do some shopping. What do you say?” She held her breath. She’d seen Hud go off to work this morning and had a pretty good idea that Dana didn’t have anyone to take care of the kids. Couldn’t really call Hilde, could she? Also, she’d
“Yes, it is. And she’s living with you and your husband and your children.”
They stood only inches apart staring at each other, but Hilde felt as if there was a mountain range between them, one neither of them might be able to climb.
“I’m worried about you, Hilde.”
“Really? Because I’m scared to death for you. She killed Rick to keep him from telling me the truth tonight. He’d called me and said he’d tell me Dee’s secrets, but I got there too late.”
Dana was shaking her head and Hilde saw that her friend was never going to believe her. Until it was too late. “I should go.”
Hilde nodded. “Watch her, Dana. I think she’s after Hud.”
Dana gave her a disbelieving look as if Hilde had finally lost her mind, then she turned and left.
Hilde closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She hadn’t even realized she was crying until she tasted the salty tears.
Chapter Eight
“You can’t blame yourself for Rick’s overdose,” Dana said the next morning at breakfast. Hud had left early, called in on some new case. Her “cousin” had been trying to console her. “There are just some people who can’t be helped no matter how hard we try.”
Dee heard something in Dana’s voice. “Like Hilde? I feel responsible for this rift between the two of you as much as I do for what Rick did.”
“Don’t. Hilde has just been under a lot of strain lately. I didn’t realize how much. Then to find Rick like that...”
“So Hilde was the one who found him?” Dee felt her blood pressure rise like a rocket. That bastard. After their horseback ride, he’d threatened to blow her plans out of the water if she didn’t include him. “Why would she go over to Rick’s?”
Dana looked away to tend to one of the kids. “Apparently he was upset after you broke things off with him again. He called Hilde, wanted ten thousand dollars to tell her things about you.”
If she could have killed him again, she would have made this time much more painful. “Why would he do that?” she wailed. “It must have been the drugs talking.”
“I’m sure it was.”
“So what did he say when she got to his motel room?” Dee asked, trying hard not to let her fear show.
“He was already dead.”
Dee tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. “I’m sure he just wanted a shoulder to cry on.”
“But to ask her for ten thousand dollars for information about you...” Dana said, and looked at her.
Dee saw the doubt beginning to bloom and knew she had to nip it in the bud and quickly. “I told you Rick had turned to pills,” she said, and began to cry again. She’d learned to cry on cue so this was the easy part. “Well, the truth is...Rick had a drug habit. I’m so ashamed.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Dana said, quickly coming to her side.
“How could I have fallen in love with a man like him? I didn’t know for a long time. Once I realized...I tried to help him. But it was too late. He’d blown all his savings on his habit. It wasn’t love that brought him all the way to Montana or me. I was too ashamed to tell you this, but the real reason was to ask me for money. When I turned him down, both for money and his feeble attempt to get me back, I guess he was desperate. He knew Hilde didn’t like me.... She was probably ready to give him the money for any kind of dirt on me she could dig up. Oh, Dana, I’m sorry. I know she’s your best friend.... See why I feel so badly about all this?”
“But you shouldn’t. You haven’t done anything. We can’t control the way other people react.” Dana sounded sad.
“We need to do something to cheer us both up. I would love to go into Bozeman. We could have lunch, maybe do some shopping. What do you say?” She held her breath. She’d seen Hud go off to work this morning and had a pretty good idea that Dana didn’t have anyone to take care of the kids. Couldn’t really call Hilde, could she? Also, she’d
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