Free Justice at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels Page A

of guy. But he was over Shelby. Nothing could have made him go back to her.”
    “Did she know that?” Liza asked.
    Brittany broke a cookie in half and played in the icing for a moment. “I think she did. She really was heartbroken. She cried hysterically at the funeral. I’d never seen her like that. I actually felt sorry for her.”
    “But you didn’t feel sorry enough not to go out with Tanner.”
    Brittany shrugged. “It was high school. Tanner asked me out. He was a nice guy and a lot of fun. Shelby knew it wasn’t serious. She didn’t blame me.”
    “But she did Tanner?”
    Brittany smiled. “Let me put it this way. If Shelby was the kind to make voodoo dolls and stick pins in them, she would have had one with Tanner’s name on it. But she moved on quick enough. Tanner was barely in the ground before she was dating Wyatt Iverson. One thing about Shelby, she seems to bounce back pretty fast.”
    “Wyatt Iverson of Iverson Construction?” Liza said. “Isn’t that the same construction company that Tanner was working for at the time of his death?”
    Brittany nodded and got up to go to the bottom of the stairs to yell up at the kids to quit fighting. When she came back she began to clean up the kitchen. “Wyatt was four years ahead of us in school, so I didn’t really know him. But later that summer his father went bankrupt, shot Harris Lancaster and went to prison. Malcolm was never the same after that, I guess. He died in a boating accident. At least that’s what they called it. He drowned up on Canyon Ferry. Everyone suspected he killed himself. I’ve gotten to know Wyatt a little since then. He never got over what happened with his father. That’s one reason he’s worked so hard to get the construction company going again.” She looked up. “Sorry, that’s probably a whole lot more than you wanted to hear.”
    “You like Wyatt.”
    Brittany smiled at that. “ Like might be a little strong. He and Shelby are cut from the same cloth. Both go after what they want and the rest be damned.” She frowned. “Why all the questions about Tanner?”
    “Tanner was Alex’s friend.”
    “And now they’re both dead,” Brittany said with a nod.
    “With all Tanner’s plans, he doesn’t sound like someone who would commit suicide before graduation. Was anything else going on in his life that you knew of? Maybe with his parents, his friends?”
    Brittany shook her head. “His parents are still happily married and still live on the ranch. His friends were fine—well, that is, they were until last night.” She sighed. “There was the vandalism, though.”
    “Vandalism?” Liza asked.
    “Tanner was staying in the cabin at the construction site in payment for watching over Malcolm Iverson’s equipment. There was a party at the cabin one night. The next morning, Malcolm discovered his equipment had been vandalized. Tanner blamed himself.”
    “Enough to kill himself?”
    “I didn’t think so at the time. Wyatt didn’t even blame Tanner. The party hadn’t been his idea in the first place. Tanner was really responsible, but everyone showed up with beer and things must have gotten out of hand. But who knows. Maybe Tanner was taking it harder than any of us knew. Wyatt talked his father into letting Tanner stay at the cabin even after the vandalism. So I really don’t think that had anything to do with Tanner’s death.”
    “Well, thank you for the information,” Liza said.
    “It’s kind of strange though. I heard Jordan Cardwell was back in the canyon—and that he was at the falls when Alex was shot?”
    “Why is that strange if they were friends?”
    “Because he and Alex had a huge falling-out the night of the party.”
    Liza felt her pulse quicken. “Over what?”
    “I never knew. I just remember Tanner refused to take sides. He said they’d work it out.”
    “Did they?”
    “Not that I know of. Jordan left right after graduation and seldom came back. I’m not sure he and Alex