Free The Ying on Triad by Kent Conwell

I just heard from
him a hour or so back"
    The clerk shook his head slowly in dismay. "We just
got word ourselves"
    "What happened?"
    "Don't know for sure. Lonnie-that's Sheriff Cobb's
deputy-stopped in and said one of Landreth's people
found him in the den with a bullet hole in his head. 'Pears
he killed himself."
    I just stared at him. Slowly the wheels in my head started turning. I had been so close ... but, the proof of which
Landreth had spoken could still be in his house. I knew I
was grasping at straws. Maybe I could explain my
predicament to his family. Maybe someone would be
willing to help me search for the proof. Maybe.
    "Did he have a wife and family?"

    The lanky cowboy shook his head. "Nope. Bachelor.
'Course, he had house guests, but they only stayed
overnight" He and the store clerk grinned lecherously at
each other.
    I cursed all the way back to Austin, wondering desperately just what evidence Landreth had possessed that
could have cleared Bobby Packard.
    As I drove, a tiny kernel of suspicion pushed aside
some of the random thoughts tumbling about in my head.
Landreth's sudden death seemed too timely to be mere
coincidence. I glanced at my watch when I hit Mopac
Expressway. It was almost 6:30.
    If I hurried, I could visit Sally Reston north of Round
Rock and still pick up Janice by 9:00.
    Normally, I don't use my cell phone when I drive, but
I was pressed for time. I pulled into the outside lane and
dropped my speed to fifty-five.
    There was no Sally Reston listed in information, but
luck smiled on me. There was a Reston Day Care listed.
    I didn't expect an answer because of the lateness of the
hour, but I crossed my fingers that some hapless parent
might have been unavoidably detained and the day care
was still open.
    No such luck. There was no answer, only voice mail. I
decided not to leave a message.
    Swinging off Mopac onto Research Boulevard, I cut
north on Lamar, then a few blocks later, left on Peyton
Gin Road. I was exhausted. The day had been long, but
fortunately it had been profitable enough to reinforce my
belief that Bobby Packard was telling the truth.
    Mentally, I ticked off what I had learned in the last
three days. First, there was the alleged video of an Asian
making the hit on Hastings; second, the slugs taken from
Hastings turned up missing before the rifling could be matched to Packard's Glock; third, Hastings initiated the
slugfest at the Double Eagle; fourth, from both Lorene
Hastings and Pop Wingate, I heard that Hastings was a
politician gone bad; fifth, Don Landreth claimed he had
evidence clearing Packard; sixth, Landreth died with a
slug in his head.

    I hesitated, considering the maroon automobile that
had run me off the freeway. Accident? Or warning? Then
there was the threatening message on my phone and the
next day the blowout that sent Janice and me skidding off
the road. Counting those incidents, I had nine reasons to
believe Packard.
    My cell phone rang. It was Jack Edney. "Tony. Buddy.
What about it? You going to-be, my campaign manager?"
    I thought of Don Landreth. "No way, Jack. No way at
all" I punched off, then turned off the cell phone.

     

G4What the-" was my first reaction as I passed
Laurel Grove Road and spotted a red SUV in my driveway. Then I closed my eyes and groaned. It was Diane,
my ex. I had forgotten all about her. She was due in town
today. And tonight was the Halloween party with Janice.
Perfect timing, I told myself wryly.
    Diane rose from the couch and smiled brightly when I
opened the door. Her voice was animated. "Hey, Tony. I
hope you don't mind, but your landlord let me in" She
held out her arms.
    "Not a bit," I replied, reluctantly giving her a brief hug,
knowing she was probably expecting me to spend the evening, maybe even the night, with her.
    Frantically, I sought some way to extricate myself from
the confusion. Trying to buy time, I stepped back and
looked her up and down. She wore black