Devil’s Claw

“No,” Joa

“Okay, then,” he said. “You’re welcome. Guess I’d better be going. See you tomorrow.” With that, he folded his lanky frame small enough to fit back inside the Camry and then drove off.

Joa

“Reba Singleton has hired Dick Voland to gather enough evidence against me to ask the FBI to investigate my involvement in her father’s death.”

“She’s accusing you of murdering Clayton Rhodes?”

“That’s right.”

Maria

“No, it’s not. According to Burton Kimball, if Reba tries to go against her father’s will, the expenses of that come straight out of her pocket. But if she can somehow prove that I’m responsible for his death, the state would be compelled to declare the will invalid. I don’t know all the applicable statutes well enough. It may not even be necessary for her to make a murder charge stick. Criminal negligence might be enough to invalidate the will.”

“But what’s the point?” Maria

“I doubt it is,” Joa

“What can I do to help?” Maria

Joa

“Does Butch know?”

“He knows about the will. He doesn’t know that Reba Singleton has hired Dick Voland. I don’t think he’ll be thrilled when he finds out.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“Absolutely. It’ll give us something to talk about-while we’re cleaning the oven and wiping down cabinets.”

“What about a ride home?” Maria

Joa

“You never do,” Maria

“Look who’s calling the kettle black,” Joa

Maria

“In other words, cross the bridge when you come to it.”

Maria

Great advice, Joa

The ride home with Eleanor Lathrop Winfield proved to be just what Joa

“You’re treating this whole thing far too casually,” Eleanor complained. “An event like this doesn’t come together without a little effort and cooperation, you know.”

“I’ve told you before, Mother,” Joa

“What about your hair?”

“My hair?”

“Have you made your appointment at Helene’s yet? Or has he made one for you? If the wedding starts at four, you should be in a chair in Helen Barco’s shop no later than eleven. And since the wedding is going to be on a Saturday, somebody had better call for an appointment pretty soon because she could be all booked up.”

“Mother,” Joa

“I beg your pardon? A what?”

“I know Helen calls her place a beauty shop, but my results are usually adequate rather than beautiful. I prefer calling Helene’s an adequate shop.”

Eleanor Winfield gave a disapproving shake to her head. “There you go again,” she sniffed. “You’re just like your father-always making jokes. You’re so like him at times, Joa

“I almost feel sorry for Frederick at times,” Eleanor added after a pause. Even now, less than a week before the wedding, Joa

“I believe you’re wrong there, Mother,” Joa

CHAPTER 11

Nine o’clock Monday morning found a bleary-eyed Sheriff Brady in her office and trying hard to concentrate on work. She had barely made her way through the first two letters by the time Chief Deputy Frank Montoya showed up for his morning briefing.

“How’s the bride?” he asked cheerfully, popping his head in the door. “And how was the shower?”

“The shower was fine,” Joa

“Sorry to hear it,” Frank said, setting a stack of incident reports down on the corner of Joa

“Some people would call it that, I suppose,” Joa

The previous evening the oven had been sparkling clean and she and Butch had tackled cleaning grout on the kitchen counter when she had happened to mention Dick Voland’s visit at the end of the shower.

Butch’s reaction to the news had been instantaneous and in hindsight, quite predictable. “You can’t be serious!” he had exclaimed. “You mean you’re actually going to cooperate with that jerk?”

“Of course I’m going to cooperate,” Joa

“Ignore him.”

“Butch, I can’t do that,” an exasperated Joa

“I don’t see how. I think he’s got a hell of a lot of nerve-”