Susie. “I can’t say we parted good friends. As a matter of fact, I doubt if I could ever again get in that office.”
“Was she really quite beautiful?” Liz asked.
“Yes. I’m sure she was the most beautiful young woman around here when she was younger, but she’s a little hard around the edges now.”
“Sounds like it’s pretty much the same thing that happened to my friend Judy. She was sitting in a movie director’s office in Los Angeles getting ready to read for a part when she looked around her and realized that every other woman in the office was just as beautiful as she was. She walked out and never looked back. I don’t think Judy ever regretted doing it. Yeah, trying to make it in Hollywood is a tough life,” Liz said.
“Probably true, but it sounds like Susie has adapted quite well to running the ranch. I didn’t see a wedding ring on her finger, so I don’t know what the status is on that, but she’s quite bright. Even if Mitch isn’t in any shape to run the ranch right now, it’s in good hands.”
“What do you think, Roger? Could Mitch have done it?”
“Susie would certainly like for me to think he was physically and mentally unable to do it. I don’t know. Maybe she’s covering for him. That’s not unusual. I never saw him, so I really don’t know if he’s as bad off as she says. For the sake of argument, one could assume that he read in the paper about the wedding and reception and that the Salazar family was going to stay at Cindy’s Bed & Breakfast. He could have driven over and killed Laura. She’d open the door for him. Of course she’d probably open the door for her ex-husband as well.”
“So we’re still going round and round in circles.”
“Fraid so. And who knows, if it was the Reverend Jacobs, she might open the door for a man of the cloth. Liz, that cassoulet was fabulous. Slow-cooked pork, chicken, beans. My tummy is very happy at the moment, and it better be since it’s almost time for me to go to the Bible Study class conducted by the reverend.”
“How do you know it’s not closed to outsiders?”
“Sean told me there was a big notice that it was open to the general public and they were more than welcome. He said he thought it was kind of a ploy to pull in new members. While I’m thinking of Sean, let me call him and ask him to do some research on Renee’s stepmother, and then I have to leave. It’ll take me about a half an hour to get to Dillon, and I don’t want to be late to the Bible Study class.”
CHAPTER 23
Roger drove to Dillon and easily found the reverend’s church. There was a large sign in front of it that read “God’s Holy Covenant Church.” In the yard in front of the mega church was a fifty foot tall flagpole with the American flag slowly waving in the breeze. The rectory and the picket fence in front of it appeared to have recently received a fresh coat of white paint. Bright red roses trailed along the fence. Baskets hung from the wraparound porch with pink and purple geraniums spilling over them. It was apparent that Reverend Jacobs’ home was well taken care of, probably by devoted parishioners. A shiny new SUV was in the driveway of the rectory. It looked like business at the church was booming.
He parked his car in the church parking lot and followed several people into a room in a wing of the church which looked like it housed meeting rooms. There was a sign next to a door that said “Bible Study – All Are Welcome.”
Roger walked in and sat down, nodding to several people who then walked over to him and warmly welcomed him. He looked around and saw that there were easily over a hundred people seated in the room waiting for the reverend and the weekly Bible Study class to begin. In a few minutes there was a commotion at the entrance to the room, and a man Roger assumed was the reverend walked in with two other men.
“Was she really quite beautiful?” Liz asked.
“Yes. I’m sure she was the most beautiful young woman around here when she was younger, but she’s a little hard around the edges now.”
“Sounds like it’s pretty much the same thing that happened to my friend Judy. She was sitting in a movie director’s office in Los Angeles getting ready to read for a part when she looked around her and realized that every other woman in the office was just as beautiful as she was. She walked out and never looked back. I don’t think Judy ever regretted doing it. Yeah, trying to make it in Hollywood is a tough life,” Liz said.
“Probably true, but it sounds like Susie has adapted quite well to running the ranch. I didn’t see a wedding ring on her finger, so I don’t know what the status is on that, but she’s quite bright. Even if Mitch isn’t in any shape to run the ranch right now, it’s in good hands.”
“What do you think, Roger? Could Mitch have done it?”
“Susie would certainly like for me to think he was physically and mentally unable to do it. I don’t know. Maybe she’s covering for him. That’s not unusual. I never saw him, so I really don’t know if he’s as bad off as she says. For the sake of argument, one could assume that he read in the paper about the wedding and reception and that the Salazar family was going to stay at Cindy’s Bed & Breakfast. He could have driven over and killed Laura. She’d open the door for him. Of course she’d probably open the door for her ex-husband as well.”
“So we’re still going round and round in circles.”
“Fraid so. And who knows, if it was the Reverend Jacobs, she might open the door for a man of the cloth. Liz, that cassoulet was fabulous. Slow-cooked pork, chicken, beans. My tummy is very happy at the moment, and it better be since it’s almost time for me to go to the Bible Study class conducted by the reverend.”
“How do you know it’s not closed to outsiders?”
“Sean told me there was a big notice that it was open to the general public and they were more than welcome. He said he thought it was kind of a ploy to pull in new members. While I’m thinking of Sean, let me call him and ask him to do some research on Renee’s stepmother, and then I have to leave. It’ll take me about a half an hour to get to Dillon, and I don’t want to be late to the Bible Study class.”
CHAPTER 23
Roger drove to Dillon and easily found the reverend’s church. There was a large sign in front of it that read “God’s Holy Covenant Church.” In the yard in front of the mega church was a fifty foot tall flagpole with the American flag slowly waving in the breeze. The rectory and the picket fence in front of it appeared to have recently received a fresh coat of white paint. Bright red roses trailed along the fence. Baskets hung from the wraparound porch with pink and purple geraniums spilling over them. It was apparent that Reverend Jacobs’ home was well taken care of, probably by devoted parishioners. A shiny new SUV was in the driveway of the rectory. It looked like business at the church was booming.
He parked his car in the church parking lot and followed several people into a room in a wing of the church which looked like it housed meeting rooms. There was a sign next to a door that said “Bible Study – All Are Welcome.”
Roger walked in and sat down, nodding to several people who then walked over to him and warmly welcomed him. He looked around and saw that there were easily over a hundred people seated in the room waiting for the reverend and the weekly Bible Study class to begin. In a few minutes there was a commotion at the entrance to the room, and a man Roger assumed was the reverend walked in with two other men.
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