his head in. “Ms Abbott’s here,” he whispered.
“Great,” Geoff said. “Send her in.” Then he looked over his shoulder at Amos. “Sorry. Your office.”
Amos waved a hand at him. “Your investigation.”
Mutt opened the door fully, and a second later Merry Abbott walked in.
Geoff blinked. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but not this. Not that Merideth Abbott was a fashion model. But most of the professional horse women he’d met had skin like saddle leather and tended to look more like Clint Eastwood than Nicole Kidman.
This one didn’t land exactly in the Kidman column, but it was close.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m interrupting.”
Both men stood. “Not at all,” Amos said. “This is Agent Geoffrey Wheeler of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.”
He offered his hand. “Sorry for your loss, Ms Abbott.”
She sank into one of the wooden chairs in front of Amos’s desk. “Georgia Bureau of Investigation? Peggy was right? Somebody actually murdered my father? I kept thinking she must be wrong because. . . . ” Her shoulders slumped. “Hiram could be a butthead, but who’d want to kill him? Why? For what?”
“That’s why I’m here, Mrs. Abbott.” Geoff eased one hip onto the edge of Amos’s desk, so that he looked down on her. Not quite as good as sitting behind Amos’s desk, but still good. “I take it you have no ideas.”
She shook her head. “If Hiram made any enemies, I wouldn’t know about them. Hiram and I hadn’t been exactly close the last few years. ”
“Care to tell us why?”
“Divorced father, constant travel, spotty child support. We got crossways when I was a teenager and stayed that way until recently.”
“What changed?”
“We got older. I got a divorce myself a couple of years back that gave me a better understanding of why marriages implode. In the meantime, he seems to have grown. We were meeting in the middle.” She ran her hand along her cheek to brush away a tear. “I thought we’d have years to get to know one another again. I was sort of on my way down here to visit him when I got the sheriff’s call.”
“Quite a coincidence,” Geoff Wheeler said. He tried to keep the disbelief out of his voice, but apparently he didn’t succeed.
She glared at him. “Don’t you dare go there. I’ve got a couple of hundred people and horses to prove that I was two hours the other side of Chattanooga all weekend.”
“I wasn’t implying anything.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you were. If you’re actually interested in finding out who killed him and not simply in covering it up for the governor, don’t waste your time on me.“
“I work for the state of Georgia, not Governor Bigelow.” Geoff tried to keep his voice even, but her barb had come uncomfortably close to the truth. Neither he nor Amos was interested in covering up a murder, but the sheriff of Bigelow County had a vested interest in keeping Bigelow safe and serene for the governor and his family. The sheriff was considered semi-honest, but he liked his job. No telling how far he’d go to keep the governor from taking an interest in county politics and throwing support to opposing sheriff candidates in the election.
Next to simply sweeping a murder under the carpet if Sheriff Campbell was capable of that getting a citizen of Mossy Creek arrested and charged with capital murder would suit him just fine. Actually, Governor Bigelow would probably frame Ida Walker for murder in a heartbeat, given the chance. Everyone in the state of Georgia followed their particular feud. At the moment, Ida was ahead on points.
He changed the subject. “Your father seems to have been something of a ladies’ man. Could he have been romancing a lady whose husband didn’t like it?”
“Hiram was nearly seventy, but that didn’t keep him from flirting. If you’re asking me whether he was capable of anything beyond that, for God’s sake, I’m his daughter. He’s unlikely to discuss
“Great,” Geoff said. “Send her in.” Then he looked over his shoulder at Amos. “Sorry. Your office.”
Amos waved a hand at him. “Your investigation.”
Mutt opened the door fully, and a second later Merry Abbott walked in.
Geoff blinked. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but not this. Not that Merideth Abbott was a fashion model. But most of the professional horse women he’d met had skin like saddle leather and tended to look more like Clint Eastwood than Nicole Kidman.
This one didn’t land exactly in the Kidman column, but it was close.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m interrupting.”
Both men stood. “Not at all,” Amos said. “This is Agent Geoffrey Wheeler of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.”
He offered his hand. “Sorry for your loss, Ms Abbott.”
She sank into one of the wooden chairs in front of Amos’s desk. “Georgia Bureau of Investigation? Peggy was right? Somebody actually murdered my father? I kept thinking she must be wrong because. . . . ” Her shoulders slumped. “Hiram could be a butthead, but who’d want to kill him? Why? For what?”
“That’s why I’m here, Mrs. Abbott.” Geoff eased one hip onto the edge of Amos’s desk, so that he looked down on her. Not quite as good as sitting behind Amos’s desk, but still good. “I take it you have no ideas.”
She shook her head. “If Hiram made any enemies, I wouldn’t know about them. Hiram and I hadn’t been exactly close the last few years. ”
“Care to tell us why?”
“Divorced father, constant travel, spotty child support. We got crossways when I was a teenager and stayed that way until recently.”
“What changed?”
“We got older. I got a divorce myself a couple of years back that gave me a better understanding of why marriages implode. In the meantime, he seems to have grown. We were meeting in the middle.” She ran her hand along her cheek to brush away a tear. “I thought we’d have years to get to know one another again. I was sort of on my way down here to visit him when I got the sheriff’s call.”
“Quite a coincidence,” Geoff Wheeler said. He tried to keep the disbelief out of his voice, but apparently he didn’t succeed.
She glared at him. “Don’t you dare go there. I’ve got a couple of hundred people and horses to prove that I was two hours the other side of Chattanooga all weekend.”
“I wasn’t implying anything.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you were. If you’re actually interested in finding out who killed him and not simply in covering it up for the governor, don’t waste your time on me.“
“I work for the state of Georgia, not Governor Bigelow.” Geoff tried to keep his voice even, but her barb had come uncomfortably close to the truth. Neither he nor Amos was interested in covering up a murder, but the sheriff of Bigelow County had a vested interest in keeping Bigelow safe and serene for the governor and his family. The sheriff was considered semi-honest, but he liked his job. No telling how far he’d go to keep the governor from taking an interest in county politics and throwing support to opposing sheriff candidates in the election.
Next to simply sweeping a murder under the carpet if Sheriff Campbell was capable of that getting a citizen of Mossy Creek arrested and charged with capital murder would suit him just fine. Actually, Governor Bigelow would probably frame Ida Walker for murder in a heartbeat, given the chance. Everyone in the state of Georgia followed their particular feud. At the moment, Ida was ahead on points.
He changed the subject. “Your father seems to have been something of a ladies’ man. Could he have been romancing a lady whose husband didn’t like it?”
“Hiram was nearly seventy, but that didn’t keep him from flirting. If you’re asking me whether he was capable of anything beyond that, for God’s sake, I’m his daughter. He’s unlikely to discuss
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