one?”
“Probably, but trust me, I’ve already taste-tested my share.”
He took a bite and made appreciative noises.
“So you’ll have to move,” I said. “Away from the ranch.”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and shrugged. “I knew that would happen, and Mom’s ready to find a smaller place of her own. I’m hoping she’ll stay close enough for me to keep an eye on her.”
I grinned. “She probably says the same about you.”
Angie must have realized there was food at the table and came back to sit by her master. I was about to apologize for not having a treat for the dog when Griffin produced a rawhide stick from a pocket.
“Grabbed it from my truck. ‘Always be prepared’ isn’t only for the Boy Scouts.” He finished the cupcake and took a swig of coffee. “Tell me about the gossip you heard back at the school. Were you outside at the ball game?”
“No, I stayed in the cafeteria writing.” I told him what the women had said. “You hear any of this around town?”
He shrugged. “I try not to listen too hard. Crystal Devlin was out there in the public eye, of course people are gonna sling dirt. I hear she was a shrewd businesswoman. Probably wouldn’t have won any popularity contests.”
“Doesn’t necessarily sound like the type who’d have the spare time to run around on her husband.”
“Some women make the time,” Griffin said, then hurriedly added, “but I know nothing about Crystal’s private life.”
“What about Ace McKinney? You know him?”
Griffin finished another bite of cupcake. “Unfortunately, yes. We had a showdown soon after I took over this territory. He and I didn’t see eye to eye about the starting date of hunting season.”
“You mean he’s a poacher?”
“I don’t know what he is today. That episode was over a year ago. Man was drinking, quite a lot judging from the smell of him. He definitely doesn’t like other people telling him what to do.”
“Or not do,” I said.
Griffin nodded. “You get the picture. I backed down that day. Figured it was either let it go or risk being shot.”
“He was that angry?”
“It was a bad scene. I wrote him a ticket. Made a report to my boss about the guy. Hate to come across as a coward, but there was no way I was gonna stop him from doin’ whatever he felt like doin’.”
“So you’d say Ace McKinney’s the type of guy who could kill someone?”
Griffin turned his head toward the sun, still brilliant and surrounded by gorgeous shades of pink as it lowered toward the horizon. After a moment, he faced me. “I can imagine him killing. What I have trouble with is seeing a man like Ace climbing up on that scaffolding to patiently rig the bricks.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sorry. I forgot that’s not common knowledge.” Griffin wiped his hands on a napkin. “The bricks were rigged to fall. Set up so they’d go off quick and easy as soon as Crystal was in the right spot.”
His statement contradicted what Aunt Rowe had said. “Who’d you hear this from?”
“Deputy Rosales.”
“Who shouldn’t be talking about such facts to anyone,” I said, “no matter how much she craves your attention.”
He gave me a palms up. “Let’s not get sidetracked on that crazy woman.”
“Okay, back to poor Crystal. I don’t think Rosales had the latest information when she talked to you. Either that or she didn’t tell you everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Aunt Rowe heard the sheriff say Crystal was killed by a blow to the head before the bricks hit her.”
Griffin nodded. “Makes more sense than someone setting up bricks and hoping Crystal would show up and stand in the exact spot for the bricks to kill her.”
“They could have been rigged,” I said, “for the purpose of covering up the actual cause of death.”
“Maybe,” Griffin said, “but that still doesn’t sound like Ace.”
“Or Pearl. I can’t see her climbing the scaffolding any sooner than I’d
“Probably, but trust me, I’ve already taste-tested my share.”
He took a bite and made appreciative noises.
“So you’ll have to move,” I said. “Away from the ranch.”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and shrugged. “I knew that would happen, and Mom’s ready to find a smaller place of her own. I’m hoping she’ll stay close enough for me to keep an eye on her.”
I grinned. “She probably says the same about you.”
Angie must have realized there was food at the table and came back to sit by her master. I was about to apologize for not having a treat for the dog when Griffin produced a rawhide stick from a pocket.
“Grabbed it from my truck. ‘Always be prepared’ isn’t only for the Boy Scouts.” He finished the cupcake and took a swig of coffee. “Tell me about the gossip you heard back at the school. Were you outside at the ball game?”
“No, I stayed in the cafeteria writing.” I told him what the women had said. “You hear any of this around town?”
He shrugged. “I try not to listen too hard. Crystal Devlin was out there in the public eye, of course people are gonna sling dirt. I hear she was a shrewd businesswoman. Probably wouldn’t have won any popularity contests.”
“Doesn’t necessarily sound like the type who’d have the spare time to run around on her husband.”
“Some women make the time,” Griffin said, then hurriedly added, “but I know nothing about Crystal’s private life.”
“What about Ace McKinney? You know him?”
Griffin finished another bite of cupcake. “Unfortunately, yes. We had a showdown soon after I took over this territory. He and I didn’t see eye to eye about the starting date of hunting season.”
“You mean he’s a poacher?”
“I don’t know what he is today. That episode was over a year ago. Man was drinking, quite a lot judging from the smell of him. He definitely doesn’t like other people telling him what to do.”
“Or not do,” I said.
Griffin nodded. “You get the picture. I backed down that day. Figured it was either let it go or risk being shot.”
“He was that angry?”
“It was a bad scene. I wrote him a ticket. Made a report to my boss about the guy. Hate to come across as a coward, but there was no way I was gonna stop him from doin’ whatever he felt like doin’.”
“So you’d say Ace McKinney’s the type of guy who could kill someone?”
Griffin turned his head toward the sun, still brilliant and surrounded by gorgeous shades of pink as it lowered toward the horizon. After a moment, he faced me. “I can imagine him killing. What I have trouble with is seeing a man like Ace climbing up on that scaffolding to patiently rig the bricks.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sorry. I forgot that’s not common knowledge.” Griffin wiped his hands on a napkin. “The bricks were rigged to fall. Set up so they’d go off quick and easy as soon as Crystal was in the right spot.”
His statement contradicted what Aunt Rowe had said. “Who’d you hear this from?”
“Deputy Rosales.”
“Who shouldn’t be talking about such facts to anyone,” I said, “no matter how much she craves your attention.”
He gave me a palms up. “Let’s not get sidetracked on that crazy woman.”
“Okay, back to poor Crystal. I don’t think Rosales had the latest information when she talked to you. Either that or she didn’t tell you everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Aunt Rowe heard the sheriff say Crystal was killed by a blow to the head before the bricks hit her.”
Griffin nodded. “Makes more sense than someone setting up bricks and hoping Crystal would show up and stand in the exact spot for the bricks to kill her.”
“They could have been rigged,” I said, “for the purpose of covering up the actual cause of death.”
“Maybe,” Griffin said, “but that still doesn’t sound like Ace.”
“Or Pearl. I can’t see her climbing the scaffolding any sooner than I’d
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