The question was greeted with absolute silence. Surprised, since she was in such a hurry and was never particularly fond of my company, I turned to see what had her distracted, and was stunned to find her staring at me wide eyed, her mouth slightly open.
Lifting an eyebrow, I asked, “Kody, did you hear me?”
Her mouth snapped shut with an audible click, and even in the dim light of the room I could see her blush. “Uh. What are you doing?” She waved a hand at my exposed chest and slammed her eyes closed. “Put a shirt on.”
I snorted and pulled the black cotton over my head. “I told you, I needed to change.”
She cleared her throat loudly. “Oh…umm…I wasn’t listening. I’ll just meet you over at the diner.”
She turned on her heel and fled the room so fast I was surprised she didn’t leave a cartoon-style cloud of smoke behind her.
That woman was difficult to figure out. Grumbling at the never-ending day and the embarrassment of nearly falling in front of Kody, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and debated running a razor over the stubble that was fast approaching full-on beard status. Deciding it was better not to keep Kody waiting, I snatched my hat back up, hurried out the door, and made my way to the diner.
The place hadn’t changed at all since I’d left town. In fact, I was pretty sure the waitress and the guy slinging hash in the back were the exact same people who had run the joint when I would bring Aaron here after a football game for milkshakes. I was greeted by name as soon as I stepped in the door, and had no problem picking Kody out of the crowd. She was ensconced in a booth toward the back, a carafe of coffee already on the table in front of her, as well as a plate of onion rings.
She looked up at me from under her thick lashes when I slid into the seat across from her, the vinyl squeaking under my weight. I was tired, but even so, I didn’t miss the flush on Kody’s face or the way her bright eyes briefly skimmed over my now-cotton-covered chest. Before I could let my mind run wild with possibilities, her expression shifted to one of practiced indifference as she pushed a dark coffee mug in my direction.
“Dad didn’t have a soft spot for me. He just knew if he treated me half as badly as he treated Crew and Case, they would make his life miserable. They protected me my whole life, from Dad, from everyone.” Her voice was low, and her eyes darted around nervously. I realized she was worried about her personal business getting around town. I could have kicked myself. I should have known the last place she would want to talk about this was in a crowded place filled with locals. The diner was a breeding ground for gossip.
I nodded to let her know I understood and matched my tone to hers. “When was the last time you spoke with Conrad?”
Her lips twitched into a frown as she wrapped her hands around the mug in front of her. It was close to a hundred degrees outside, but she looked like she was freezing.
“I went to see him the week before Hayes’s graduation party. I told him he better do something to congratulate his only grandchild before Hayes left Loveless for college. I told him he should try and make an appearance at the party, or at the very least send a card stuffed with money. I warned him that Case would completely disown him if he didn’t acknowledge Hayes’s accomplishments.” She lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “He told me to mind my own business. Actually, he seemed like he was in a pretty big rush to get rid of me that afternoon. Usually, when I made the trip out to the farm, he tried to rope me into stocking his fridge and cleaning the place from top to bottom.” A sneer crossed her delicate features. “You know, woman’s work he wouldn’t lower himself to do.”
“Did he mention if he was expecting visitors, or if he was planning on going somewhere?” Conrad’s body had been found the night before Hayes’s graduation party. As far as we knew, Kody was the last person who had seen the former sheriff alive.
“He didn’t say anything, really. He bitched about Hayes going out of state for school, but that was nothing new. He was one of those people who thought there is no life worth living outside of Texas. If you left Loveless, you were a traitor in my dad’s eyes. If he was having problems, he wasn’t the type to share. He always thought he knew best and could handle anything without help.” She rolled her eyes and slumped down in the booth. “He always had more enemies than he did friends.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Runs in the family.”
I grunted when the toe of her boot connected with my shin under the table. Bending down to rub the spot she kicked, I asked, “Anything else about that visit stick out in your mind? I’ve got to be honest, we aren’t having much luck tracking down anyone who knows Conrad’s whereabouts before the murder. Your dad was good at playing it close to the vest.” When cops had secrets they wanted to keep buried, it was damn near impossible to dig them up without help.
She rapped her nails on the side of her mug as she thought. After a moment she shook her head. “There really was nothing special about that day. Dad was surly and rude as usual. The farm and the house looked the same. He pissed me off without trying, just like always. I was so mad at him I almost took out one of his neighbors on my way back into town.”
I set my mug down and leaned on the table. It was a long, barren dirt road leading up into the hill country to get to Conrad’s property. There was very little traffic out there, so the fact that Kody had passed someone was highly suspicious.
“Was it a neighbor you recognized? A vehicle you were familiar with?” It was a battle to keep the spark of excitement out of my voice. I didn’t want to pressure her. The memory was fleeting, and if she lost it right after finding it, I was back at square one.
Kody pushed her coffee away and lifted a hand to push her hair back. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and I felt her watching me intently. “No. I don’t know his neighbors. He always kept us isolated out there on the farm. You know he didn’t like anyone poking their nose in what was going on in our house. He had an image to keep up. I just figured it was a neighbor since they were out on the road in the middle of the day.”
I nodded and asked, “Do you remember what kind of car it was? Did it have Texas plates?”
She stiffened, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She closed her eyes briefly, and I watched as her breathing slowed as she concentrated. A moment later she brought her hand up to her mouth so she could tug on her lower lip.
“It was a Tesla. I remember thinking I was going to be super screwed if I did run into it, because there’s no way I could afford to fix something like that. I can’t remember if it had Texas plates or not, but I do think I remember the driver being a woman.” Her eyes flew open and her palms hit the table, rattling both our cups and the untouched silverware. “I can guarantee none of Dad’s neighbors drive a Tesla. No one in Loveless does. A car like that would stick out like a sore thumb. People would be talking about it for days.”
She banged her hands on the table again and came up out of her seat. “Are you telling me I drove past my father’s killer and didn’t even know it?”
Heads started to turn in our direction, and the waitress stopped near our table to ask if we needed anything. I offered up a weak grin and reached out to forcibly pull Kody back into her seat. “We’re fine. You can drop the bill anytime.”