Free Old Flames Never Die (Valentine Mystery) by Jenna Harte

never showed.”
    “What did you do when he didn't show?”
    “I called him a few times. At his home
and cell phone. But there was no answer, so I fished without him.”
    “You weren't worried when he didn't
answer?”
    “No. I figured something came up with
the horses. That was his first love.”
    “So he's missed fishing outings with you
before.”
    “Sure, a few times.” Wilson said
reaching for a cigarette.
    “You and Mr. Danforth have been friends
for a long time, is that right?”
    “That's right. I did some work on his
home when he first bought it. We found we had a lot in common.”
    “Such as?” Tess asked.
    “Fishing and hunting, mostly. We both
preferred bow hunting to guns.”
    Tess tried to ignore the vision of
little Bambis being speared with arrows.
    “Did you know Mrs. Danforth very well?”
    “Not too well.” Tess waited for him to
elaborate, but he didn't.
    “Did Mr. Danforth ever talk about his
marriage?”
    “No.”
    “He never mentioned her?”
    “Not really. If you ask me, they didn't
really act like married people.”
    “In what way?”
    “Well, I don't know. They didn't fight
or anything, like I said. It was like two strangers living in the same home.”
    “Did Mr. Danforth ever mention if his
wife was having an affair?” Tess asked.
    “We all knew it happened, but no one
ever discussed it, least of all Chuck.”
    “You didn't find that odd?”
    Wilson shrugged. “For some maybe, but
Chuck always seemed content with how things were going.”
    “How about Mr. Danforth? Did he have any
lady friends?”
    There was a pregnant pause. “Not that I
know for sure.”
    “But you think maybe?”
    He shrugged. “Chuck was a difficult man
to be friends with, but he was a man after all. Even he needed a little lovin'.”
    “And his wife didn't fit the bill.”
    “Like I said, they didn't act like
married people.”
    “Did he ever mention Theresa Cromwell?”
    Wilson shook his head. “Nope.”
    Something on his face had Tess thinking
Wilson knew more than he was telling, but that she wouldn't be able to get it
out of him. She decided to let it go.
    “Were you aware of any accidents
involving Mr. Danforth?”
    “Accidents?”
    “Did he have any injuries that were
unusual or suspicious?”
    Wilson took a moment to think. “You
think maybe this isn't the first time someone tried to kill him?”
    “I don't know, but it's a possibility.”
    “I don't think so. Except…”
    “Except what?”
    “Well, one time when we were hunting,
not this last winter but the winter before, he was nearly shot.”
    “Shot?”
    “It was just one shot that came out of
nowhere. We figured it was just a careless hunter.”
    “Does that happen a lot?”
    “No. Most hunters take care to know what
they're shootin' at. But it's not out of the realm of possibility. We reported
it to the sheriff's office, but there was really nothing that could be done. We
didn't see anyone.”
    “How about three weeks ago? Did anything
unusual happen then?”
    “Three weeks? Let me think. That was April?”
    “Yes.”
    “He did seem a little preoccupied on a trip
we took to Pinehurst.”
    “Pinehurst?”
    “It’s a golf course in Myrtle Beach. We
drive down once or twice a year. He was distracted and didn't seem to be having
as much fun as he usually does. I figured he and Liv were having problems or
something.”
    “What kind of problems?”
    “I don't know. Like I said, Charles
didn't talk much about hisself or Liv.”
    “You didn't think maybe it was the
horses?”
    “Nah. If there was a problem with the
horses, he wouldn't have come on the trip.”
    Tess nodded. It fit with what the trainer
had said about Danforth's commitment to his horses. “You and Mr. Danforth were
working on a business project, isn't that right?”
    “Yes. We got a pretty piece of land down
in Bucks County that we were developing.”
    “Homes?”
    “That's right. Affordable homes within
commuting distance to Jefferson