Snow Blind - Lori G. Armstrong [74]
“What?”
He faced me. “I know you can take care of yourself. That’s why I’m pissed off. You take chances you shouldn’t.”
“You trying to protect me from myself?”
“Always.” He threaded his fingers through my hair and brought my mouth closer to his.
My breath quickened in anticipation of a kiss he denied me.
“Paybacks are a bitch, blondie.”
“Yeah? Bring it.”
“Let’s see if that ‘fuck you’ attitude holds after we have dinner with your dad.” He teased his lips across mine. “Don’t forget to clean your gun tonight.”
Before I responded, he slid out of the booth, handed Misty a twenty, and stormed out into the storm. Head to the office and fight with Kevin? Go to the ranch and fight with Dad? Choices, choices. I finished my smoke and was about to leave when Don Anderson and Dale Pendergrast stomped in. They looked around, spied me, and—yippee! new 262
companions joined me for the third time.
“Julie, girl, how you holdin’ up?” Don asked as he sat across from me.
“All right, I guess.”
“Shore was a shock that Doug ended up in a heapin’ pile of trouble yesterday.”
Misty brought more coffee.
Don said, “I still can’t believe he took a swing at BD.”
Dale snorted. “BD had it comin’. Actin’ all holierthan-thou, deacon of the church shit, after he’d been caught knockin’ boots with the church secretary.”
“What?”
“Big scandal, surprised you din’t hear about it,”
Don said.
Recently I’d spent way more time in bars than behind stained-glass ones. “I’m a quart low on county gossip. What’s going on?”
“You know your daddy and BD go to the same
church? A month or so back, Doug stumbled on BD
and Beth McClanahan doin’ it in the vestibule.”
“No.”
“Yep.” Don leaned forward. “Doug demanded BD get tossed offa the church council. BD pulled the whole Jimmy Swaggart ‘I’ve sinned’ line of bull; told everyone if God can forgive his trespasses everyone else oughta, too. And they did.”
Stupid self-righteous religious bastards oughta swing from the rafters themselves.
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“Which means, BD dropped extra cash in the collection plate and got off scot-free,” Dale said slyly.
“What happened to the secretary?”
“Fired.”
“How’s that fair?” I demanded.
“It ain’t, but it was Doug’s idea she get canned. Take it up with him.”
“So you think the fight between Dad and BD at Bevel’s had something to do with that?”
“Prolly. ’Course, it don’t help matters none that your stepmom and BD had some words a month back
’fore your daddy caught BD with his pants down.”
These guys were gossipy as old hens. I considered how I could use it to my advantage. I sighed dramatically. “That doesn’t clear up anything.”
Don’s ears perked up. “Anything we can do to help?”
Act reluctant.
I glanced around. “Promise this won’t go any further than us?”
They both nodded vigorously.
“Didn’t you guys tell me the day of Brittney’s accident that few people would be upset because Melvin was dead? You have any idea who?”
Don and Dale exchanged a look.
“My dad’s stubborn and figures if he’s done nothing wrong he doesn’t have nothing to worry about. We know the legal system doesn’t work that way.” Felt shitty to lie, but I did anyway. “Especially not in this county.”
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“She’s got a point, Dale,” Don said.
Dale refused to meet my eyes and clammed up. I soldiered on, hoping to shake loose the pearls of wisdom from his tongue. “Anyone could’ve put that body on the Collins Ranch. What I’d like to know is who had a reason to.”
“And if your daddy is guilty? What then?”
“Then I’ll do the right thing.”
“Even if the right thing’s already been done, but it ain’t the legal thing?” Dale asked cagily.
Did I look as confused as I felt?
Misty refilled coffee cups and coerced them each into ordering a piece of rhubarb crumble à la mode. I gathered my stuff and handed them each a business card. “You think of anything, call me. Or stop by if I’m home. I’m not like my dad, guys. I don’t know if you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it is a true thing.”
I paid for their snack and tipped Misty