Susan Kearney - Out For Justice

“Good idea.” Not only would Debbie’s family resent her pulling up to their struggling ranch in her nifty new sports car, but with the storm brewing and the roads slick, he’d rather have four-wheel drive. “I’m parked behind the saloon.”

Ten minutes later the storm broke, drenching his truck, but they were ensconced safe and dry inside. He switched on his lights and wipers, almost turned up the country station but decided he’d rather talk to Kelly instead—which rocked him back in his seat. Wade had always liked women. He liked their scents, their smiles, the way they moved. And he especially enjoyed how Kelly sugarcoated her determination with an ultra femininity that conveyed a strength he’d never suspected.

He found her too damn attractive and wondered if she was playing him just as she’d done with the doc, the sheriff and Lindsey. He didn’t like that idea at all, but he also didn’t understand why it bothered him as much as it did. What was it about her that called to him? Perhaps she was simply his last living tie to Andrew, his best friend since high school.

Wade turned onto the highway. The heavy downpour had caused several cars to pull under the overpass to wait out the storm. With the large-size tires on his truck, he had good traction and the large cab gave him decent visibility, so he proceeded with caution.

“Tell me about Debbie,” Kelly requested, her eyes focused before them on the road, her tone firm—and yet he sensed a hesitancy to pry into Andrew’s private life.

He risked a glance at her. Her eyes looked troubled. “What do you want to know?”

She rested her hands loosely in her lap. The air-conditioning cleared the moisture from the windshield and carried her scent to him, making the cab seem intimate and cozy, especially with the rain pattering the roof.

“Andrew was going to bring her home to Sunday breakfast. He didn’t care what our folks thought. He was certain of his choice and determined to marry her. But did he love her? Or was he rebelling against my father?”

Astute questions and ones Wade wasn’t sure he knew the answers to. “He didn’t talk much about her to me.”

“But you saw them together?”

“He brought her to the saloon most Saturday nights.”

“And?”

“And what?” Distinct discomfort about answering her questions made him stall.

“What was your impression of her?”

He reminded himself that betraying Andrew wasn’t possible. The most he could do for his dead friend was help his sister seek justice. “If you’re asking me if Debbie was with Andrew because he was successful and had a bright future or because she loved him, I wouldn’t know.”

“You’re holding out on me,” Kelly complained. “I’m not asking you for facts—just your impression. Certainly you must have given some thought to Andrew’s choice in a wife?”

“Frankly, I thought he could do better.” Wade swerved around fallen debris on the highway. “But you know Andrew—”

“He wanted to fix the world.”

“Exactly. He liked to be needed and therefore he tended to pick women in distress.”

“What did Debbie need from him besides legal help with her property?”

Kelly obviously didn’t know much at all, and Wade found himself reluctant to reveal his friend’s secrets. First, he didn’t want to cause the McGovern family more pain. Second, he had to remind himself once again that Andrew was dead and talking to his sister wasn’t a betrayal. Still he knew his revelation would come as a shock and braced himself before speaking sympathetically. “Debbie had been married and divorced.”

“You’re sure?” Kelly’s brows lifted in surprise and consternation.

“Yeah.”

“How could I not know that? How could my parents not know that? Mustang Valley is simply too small for gossip not to have reached us. Daddy has all kinds of connections and not even Cara knew Debbie was married, because she would have told me.”

“According to Andrew, Debbie married Niles Deagen after she got pregnant her sophomore year in high school.”

Kelly gulped. “She has a child?”

“She had a miscarriage. So the hush-hush elopement and Vegas wedding were unnecessary after all. She wanted the marriage annulled, but Niles wouldn’t agree to it, although he did keep it quiet to avoid looking like a fool.”

Trouble seemed to follow Debbie like a dark shadow. While Wade had nothing against her personally, he always had felt she came attached to too many problems. Which was exactly why Andrew no doubt had found her irresistible. His friend had a thing for the underdog, while Wade preferred to keep things simple.

So what was he doing with Kelly? Because sure as hell, there was nothing simple about her. She came with her own set of problems that slowly but surely were becoming his. But even if he could withhold his help, he could never deny Andrew the justice he deserved.

“Why would he look foolish for marrying Debbie?” Kelly asked with an innocence that made him realize once again how protected she’d been. Her folks had made sure she’d only seen the better side of life. Wade didn’t blame them. Kelly had a special spark around her that caused optimism in others. She saw the up side in people, expected the best and was rarely disappointed.

“Debbie was sixteen. Her husband was thirty-eight.”

“Oh.”

“Andrew finally helped her obtain a messy divorce. I heard that Niles still wants her, but that’s rumor—not fact.”

Kelly didn’t let the nasty facts deter her from plunging right in to find out more. “Niles Deagen. Why does that name sound so familiar?”

“He’s a big-time Dallas oil man, with a penchant for teenage girls.”

“But Debbie’s no longer a kid.”

“She still looks like a kid. She’s flat-chested and slender-hipped and has that round baby face that makes her appear about twelve.”

Wade didn’t understand the man. Wade liked his women full-grown and grown-up. While Kelly would fit his physical requirements, he usually dated women who wanted nothing more from him than a good time. Instinctively he knew that when Kelly hooked up with a man, she would be thinking about the possibility of happily ever after.

Kelly shot him a sharp glance. “You think Niles could have had anything to do with Andrew’s murder?”

“That would be pure speculation.” But the thought had occurred to Wade. More than once. However, he didn’t have a shred of evidence to back up that hunch.

“If he’s an oil man, he has the means and a motive.” Kelly sighed. “I never thought finding Andrew’s killer would be simple, but the more I learn, the more complicated this seems. I keep adding suspects to my list and haven’t eliminated anyone.”

He didn’t like the idea of Kelly getting discouraged. Not when she’d done such a good job of keeping herself together.

“Hey, chin up. Today’s only the first day. You’re doing great.”

“Maybe I should ask Daddy to hire a private investigator.”

“You could.”

“But?”

“He’d be a stranger to Mustang Valley, and the folks here don’t open up to outsiders.” And then Wade wouldn’t have an excuse to spend more time with her.

“I imagine you hear all kinds of gossip in your saloon.” She hit him with one of those innocent-sounding, sideways comments that made it difficult to anticipate where she was taking the conversation.

“We’ve been busy lately. That means I have to draft lots of beer and rustle up my Texas-famous chili. You stop by sometime and I’ll serve you up a bowl—on the house.”

“Thanks.” As if uncomfortable with the notion of them spending time together for any reason other than Andrew, she changed the subject. “So what hot buttons have stirred up the town lately? Does Tony Barker have a shot at defeating Mayor Daniels?”