all together at the Double Crown last month to tell us about it.”
“What did the note say?”
“‘One of the Fortunes is not who you think,’” Nick quoted, shaking his head. “Makes no sense, at least as far as I can tell. We all thought it was the first contact in a blackmail attempt, but everyone at the meeting insisted they had no idea what it could mean, nor who the blackmailer might be.”
“Hmm.” Ross glanced at his notes, flipped a couple of pages, and looked back at Nick. “And there have been three more notes?”
Nick nodded. “My dad received one—so did Cindy. That’s when your mom suggested we contact you and begin an official investigation.” Nick saw Ross’s eyes shutter, his face unreadable. He knew Ross and his mother had problems—in fact, as the eldest of Cindy’s four children, Ross had pretty much taken over the role of caretaker for his younger siblings. It looked like there were issues between the two that went deeper than a mother-son disagreement. “All three of the original notes said exactly the same thing,” he continued. He didn’t know Ross well enough to comment or question him about what, if anything, his response to Nick’s naming his mother meant. “But then Aunt Lily received a fourth that was more threatening.”
“And what did it say?”
“‘This one wasn’t an accident either,’” Nick quoted, his voice deepening as anger rose. “She got that after the second fire—the one at the Double Crown.”
“The first was the restaurant that burned down?”
“Yeah.” Nick said grimly. “Darr’s fiancée, Bethany, could have easily died in the restaurant fire. And Darr could have died when the barn burned at the Double Crown.” He leaned forward, his forearms resting on his desk, and pinned Ross with a level stare. “Whoever the hell is doing this has to be stopped before someone gets hurt.”
Ross nodded, his keen gaze fixed on Nick. “There haven’t been any other accidents or threats to anyone in the family?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Nick confirmed.
Ross tapped his pen against his notebook, a faint frown veeing his brows downward.
“And no one in the family has any idea who might have sent the notes?”
“None.”
“Are you aware of any skeletons that might be rattling in someone’s closet? Any gossip about a family member having an affair? Anybody gambling? Anyone with a drug or alcohol habit?”
“No.” Nick shook his head. “But I’ve lived in Red Rock for less than two months. Before that I was in L.A. and off the grid on up-to-date family gossip—you might want to ask Aunt Lily. She seems to have her finger on the pulse of what’s happening with the Fortunes.”
Ross nodded and jotted a note on his pad. “What about the Foundation?” he asked when he finished and looked up at Nick. “Any controversial deals or activity?”
“Not that I know of, although I’ve only been working here for about six weeks, give or take.”
“I understand the Red Restaurant is owned by the Mendozas, and they have a longstanding connection to the Fortunes. Do you have any reason to believe the notes and the fire at the Double Crown might be connected in some way to the Mendozas rather than the Fortunes?”
Nick shook his head. “I’m the wrong person to ask, I’m afraid. My dad might have better information, or Uncle Patrick, or the Mendozas themselves.”
Ross nodded and made another note. “I’ll be honest with you,” he said when he looked back at Nick. “It’s time to call in the cops. This has gone beyond possible blackmail. Lives have been endangered and that last note seems to threaten the family with more arson fires.”
“I agree,” Nick said, nodding abruptly. “But Aunt Lily is dead set against calling in the police. She’s adamant about keeping this inside the family.”
“The cops can spread a wider net, use forensics on the notes…” Ross stopped, glancing down at his pad before continuing. “If the
“What did the note say?”
“‘One of the Fortunes is not who you think,’” Nick quoted, shaking his head. “Makes no sense, at least as far as I can tell. We all thought it was the first contact in a blackmail attempt, but everyone at the meeting insisted they had no idea what it could mean, nor who the blackmailer might be.”
“Hmm.” Ross glanced at his notes, flipped a couple of pages, and looked back at Nick. “And there have been three more notes?”
Nick nodded. “My dad received one—so did Cindy. That’s when your mom suggested we contact you and begin an official investigation.” Nick saw Ross’s eyes shutter, his face unreadable. He knew Ross and his mother had problems—in fact, as the eldest of Cindy’s four children, Ross had pretty much taken over the role of caretaker for his younger siblings. It looked like there were issues between the two that went deeper than a mother-son disagreement. “All three of the original notes said exactly the same thing,” he continued. He didn’t know Ross well enough to comment or question him about what, if anything, his response to Nick’s naming his mother meant. “But then Aunt Lily received a fourth that was more threatening.”
“And what did it say?”
“‘This one wasn’t an accident either,’” Nick quoted, his voice deepening as anger rose. “She got that after the second fire—the one at the Double Crown.”
“The first was the restaurant that burned down?”
“Yeah.” Nick said grimly. “Darr’s fiancée, Bethany, could have easily died in the restaurant fire. And Darr could have died when the barn burned at the Double Crown.” He leaned forward, his forearms resting on his desk, and pinned Ross with a level stare. “Whoever the hell is doing this has to be stopped before someone gets hurt.”
Ross nodded, his keen gaze fixed on Nick. “There haven’t been any other accidents or threats to anyone in the family?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Nick confirmed.
Ross tapped his pen against his notebook, a faint frown veeing his brows downward.
“And no one in the family has any idea who might have sent the notes?”
“None.”
“Are you aware of any skeletons that might be rattling in someone’s closet? Any gossip about a family member having an affair? Anybody gambling? Anyone with a drug or alcohol habit?”
“No.” Nick shook his head. “But I’ve lived in Red Rock for less than two months. Before that I was in L.A. and off the grid on up-to-date family gossip—you might want to ask Aunt Lily. She seems to have her finger on the pulse of what’s happening with the Fortunes.”
Ross nodded and jotted a note on his pad. “What about the Foundation?” he asked when he finished and looked up at Nick. “Any controversial deals or activity?”
“Not that I know of, although I’ve only been working here for about six weeks, give or take.”
“I understand the Red Restaurant is owned by the Mendozas, and they have a longstanding connection to the Fortunes. Do you have any reason to believe the notes and the fire at the Double Crown might be connected in some way to the Mendozas rather than the Fortunes?”
Nick shook his head. “I’m the wrong person to ask, I’m afraid. My dad might have better information, or Uncle Patrick, or the Mendozas themselves.”
Ross nodded and made another note. “I’ll be honest with you,” he said when he looked back at Nick. “It’s time to call in the cops. This has gone beyond possible blackmail. Lives have been endangered and that last note seems to threaten the family with more arson fires.”
“I agree,” Nick said, nodding abruptly. “But Aunt Lily is dead set against calling in the police. She’s adamant about keeping this inside the family.”
“The cops can spread a wider net, use forensics on the notes…” Ross stopped, glancing down at his pad before continuing. “If the
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