She sucked in a deep breath and rubbed her hands up and down her thighs. “My mom was dead a few days later. She’d been sick a long time. I knew it was coming, but no one could really explain why she’d taken such a bad turn overnight. Something wasn’t right about it.”
“Hold up.” Hearst lifted a hand and shook his head. “Are you telling me you think your mother was murdered?”
The doctor shrugged. “I don’t know what to think. When I spoke to a colleague in the ME’s office they said the results of her autopsy were perfectly normal. I really felt like I was going out of my mind. But then I found out about Conrad, and as soon as I made contact with him, he also ended up dead. I can’t help but wonder if it’s all because of me.”
She pointed a shaking finger in the direction of the gun. “I saw that and knew I wasn’t crazy. Someone has been gaslighting me. Someone is trying to set me up for murder. I was planning on taking it to the police, but then Ashby got hurt and I realized everyone around me is in danger. I don’t know the Lawtons, but that doesn’t mean anything terrible should happen to them because they’re suddenly related to me.” She dropped her head, her chin practically touching her chest. “I honestly don’t know what to do anymore.”
Hearst let out a low whistle. “That’s some story.”
The woman sighed and put a hand to her chest like she was trying to hold her heart in place. “It’s true. I don’t make mistakes. And I didn’t kill Conrad. I have no idea why he changed his will, and I’ve never seen that gun before it showed up in my car today.” She let out a bitter-sounding laugh. “I think in the back of my mind I was hoping maybe Conrad could help me since he used to be a cop. That’s how desperate I was. I wanted to rely on a stranger to fix things and I may have gotten him killed.”
I grunted. “Conrad wasn’t the kind of cop who helped. Did you get around to telling him what was going on with you? Did he know you felt like you were in danger? Did you mention something was strange about your mother’s death?” That might have been enough to get him to head to Austin that night.
She paused but shook her head. “No. Like I’ve said, I told him who I was and explained about my mom keeping my father’s identity and the blackmail a secret my entire life. I offered to pay back the money and he turned me down. The conversation was short.”
I cocked my head to the side and narrowed my eyes slightly. “When we looked into you, we couldn’t find any known enemies. Do you have any idea why anyone would be doing all these things to you? Who would benefit from you going away for Conrad’s murder?”
The doctor sighed heavily and slowly started to rub her temples. “I don’t know. I’m kind of a loner and keep to myself. I’ve worked on some very high-profile homicide cases in my career, so I suppose it could be tied to that. It was always just me and my mom, so I honestly don’t know who would benefit from my downfall.”
I cleared my throat. “No scorned lovers or angry ex-boyfriends with an ax to grind?” Love, when it was bad, really did make people act all sorts of unpredictable ways.
She shook her head again. “No.”
“What about competition at work? You said you were recently offered a pretty big promotion. Who gets the job if you’re suddenly out of the running?” Hearst started to take pictures of the weapon with his phone, careful to make sure he didn’t contaminate the evidence in any way.
Presley sat up straighter and narrowed her eyes. “My best friend, the one who nearly died today. Ashby Grant. We went to medical school together. We both decided to work for the medical examiner’s office at the same time, instead of going the more traditional route when it comes to medicine. We’ve been friends for years. She’s my rock. I don’t know what I would do without her. I’m absolutely sick she’s lying in a hospital bed because of me right now.” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“I understand why you thought the best option was to run, but I think you need to let us help you. If people are dying around you, there has to be a reason behind it. Also, if someone really went as far as to plant a murder weapon on you, I doubt you’ve seen the end of this scheme, no matter how far you run. Come back to Loveless with us, let us talk to our boss and see if we can put you in protective custody.” Hearst was giving her the hard sell, and I could tell she wasn’t really buying it.
I turned in my seat and gave her a steady, even look. “You have family in Loveless. If you honestly think they’re in danger, you should tell them that and explain why. Like it or not, you’re all connected from here on out.”
Her gaze shifted between me and Hearst, hesitation clear on every feature of her face. “Do you really think you can help me?”
I nodded. “We can do our best.” I didn’t bother to mention that if she was lying and actually had something to do with Conrad’s murder, I’d lock her up so fast her head would spin. “I don’t think this is a problem you can solve on your own.” Regardless of how smart she was.
It was a damn shame she’d gotten off on the wrong foot with the Lawtons. There was no one better to have your back when you were facing the kind of fight this woman was facing. I just hoped things didn’t go from bad to worse for her when they found out there was now concrete and irrefutable evidence tying her to what happened to Conrad. No matter how questionable the origins of the evidence might be, the gun was very damning, and enough to blind the Lawtons to anything other than justice for their father.
Chapter 13
Kody
I hooked up with Hill last night.”
The words burst out before the door to Aspen’s office shut all the way. I saw her paralegal lift her eyebrows and heard her secretary giggle as it swung closed behind my not-safe-for-work announcement.
Aspen sat back in her leather chair and waved me over. I’d asked her secretary if she was busy before barging in. Since it was close to lunchtime I’d thought I might catch her in between clients. I was right. Aspen appeared to be eating a sandwich at her desk. Well, she had been before I burst in and dropped the bomb about me and Hill.
Aspen wiped her hands on a napkin and delicately cleared her throat. “Okay. Let’s talk about it. How are you feeling?”
I flopped into one of the chairs across from her fancy desk and kicked my feet up so my boot heels were resting on the edge. “I’m freaking out.” More about him telling me he’d had a thing for me all those years ago than about the sex stuff. I felt like Hill had been much better about keeping his feelings hidden than I had. I’d never had a clue he was as torn up over me.
Aspen chuckled and leaned forward so her forearms were resting on the desk. Her dark eyes felt like they were trying to pry every secret I had out of my soul.
“Freaking out because you regret it? Or freaking out because you finally realized you have real, honest feelings for him—feelings he clearly returns?” I hated how calm and composed she sounded.
“Freaking out over everything. Hill and I are not a good match.” I curled my hands into fists and knocked them against my thighs. “We have chemistry. He’s always been the forbidden fruit I shouldn’t want to take a bite of, but that makes my mouth water. It can’t go anywhere.” Right? Especially while I was still tied into Shot’s gambling operation. If Hill found out about that, it wasn’t going to end well for anyone. Talk about a disaster waiting to happen.