Free Anacacho, An Allie Armington Mystery by Louise Gaylord Page B

or is it that we’re in
unison? I give in and lose myself in the moment. Delicious.
Delicious.
    After that, we draw apart to sip in silence.
    He leans close. “Are you representing Paul?” “I told
you I wasn’t. I don’t lie.”
    “ I didn’t say you were, it’s just
that what I’m about to tell you is confidential. Something you need
to know for your own protection.”
    “ Protection?”
    “ Not in the physical sense, but
I’d hate to see you take Paul’s case on without having all the
facts.”
    “ I have no intention of defending
Paul. I’m not that experienced in trial work, much less a
homicide.”
    “ I’m glad to hear it.” He raises a
cautionary finger. “But, this is for your ears only.
Okay?”
    He waits until I nod. “Paul is about to lose the oil
property. Seems the Carpenters never had any legal claim and there
were never any overlapping boundaries. If anything, it was an
oversight on the Dardens’ part. No taxes were paid for thirty or so
years. Paul’s father must have found out, planted a few rusty
stakes, made the claim, then paid up. Slick as a whistle.”
    My first thought is for Susie and those five
children. If this is the truth, she and Del will never have another
care. But, then I can’t help but feel sorry for Paul. His silver
spoon is about to be yanked for good. “How do you know?”
    “ Reena was snooping around the
courthouse last summer. Said she was doing some historical research
on the ranch. I think she found out about the bogus claim, then
probably told Del because he’s been down there on a regular basis
since then.”
    “ Del knows about this?”
    “ It’s public record. All you have
to do is spend a little time tracing back through liens and deeds.
Guess his dad didn’t have the interest or the know-how.”
    It’s then that the harsh words Paul and Del
exchanged during my visit to Anacacho in January flash through my
mind.
    Del’s loaded, Give me the income from one well and
I’ll tell my lawyer to drop the suit. And Paul’s angry retort, You
keep that lawyer talk up and you’ll see what trouble is.
    I remember Reena’s desperation over the pending
divorce. She would have used anything, done anything, to preserve
her lifestyle. Was that why she went after Del?
    “ So you think Reena confronted
Paul with the news and he killed her to keep it quiet?”
    “ People have killed for less.” A
hint of a smile plays on his face. “Now, I have a few questions for
you.”
    I freeze and wait, mind speeding through the mazes
of my past. What could I possibly know that would help the
sheriff?
    “ I’ll start with the easy one. Why
are you here?” “Susie and Paul asked me to come.”
    “ I can see why Susie might want
you here, since you were so close, but why Paul?”
    “ We go back a long way. We dated
some in college.” “How ‘some’? A fun fling? Or more serious stuff?”
“Pretty serious.”
    “ And?”
    “ You must have heard how Reena
dumped Del for Paul? How Del and I ended up on the outside looking
in?”
    His hands open in supplication and I can’t help but
see the hint of amusement. “Don’t shoot. I’m a friend.”
    “ Sorry, but you’re the second
person this afternoon who’s opened old wounds.”
    His regret seems genuine. “I wasn’t in town back
then. I was in the east; prep, then college and finally the
military.”
    Eastern education? Why would he come to this small
Texas town and run for sheriff?
    “ So what’s with Paul
now?”
    Earth to Allie. The sheriff isn’t asking these
questions for the record. It’s purely personal and I’m surprised to
discover I want him to be personal.
    “ He was kind enough to send his
jet for me. In case you don’t know, I’m staying at the motel over
on Highway Ninety.” He smiles. “Oh, I know.”
    I look away from those startling blues, then attack.
“Paul didn’t kill Reena and you know it.”
    “ And just how did you come to that
conclusion, Counselor?” He’s mocking me,