River Road(21)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

“You know what I’m talking about. You don’t want to dredge up the past.”

“What is there to dredge up?”

“Brinker hurt some people—maybe more people than we knew, if he really was the Scorecard Rapist. His victims won’t thank you for bringing the ghost out of the closet, trust me.”

“I didn’t know that much about Tristan Brinker. The closest I ever got to him was the night of his last party out at the old Harper Ranch. You may remember the occasion. You invited me to go with you.”

Jillian flushed slightly, and her eyes hardened, but she gave no other indication that the mention of the party brought back uncomfortable memories or twinges of guilt. Probably because they didn’t, Lucy thought. In Jillian’s mind the events of that long-ago evening no doubt came under the heading of teenage fun and games.

“What I remember about Brinker’s last party was that you left early with Mason Fletcher,” Jillian said.

“Yes.” Lucy made a note on the yellow pad.

Jillian watched uneasily. “What are you doing?”

“Just jotting down a few reminders to myself. I’ve got a lot to do while I’m here in town.”

“How long will you be in Summer River?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” Lucy said. “I had intended to spend a couple of weeks getting the house ready to sell, but you’re right, a murder investigation could complicate things. Why do you ask?”

“I know this isn’t a good time to talk about business, but you need to know that Colfax Inc. is in the middle of a very important business negotiation. A lot of money is on the line.”

“I heard something about a possible merger.”

“Yes. Raintree Assets has approached Colfax with a very lucrative offer. Quinn and I recently found out that due to a quirk in Mary Colfax’s will, you inherited her shares in Colfax Inc.”

“It wasn’t a quirk at all,” Lucy said. “Mary was a very shrewd businesswoman. In exchange for the rather large sum of money that she invested in Colfax Inc. back at the beginning, she insisted that she have full control of her shares. She chose to leave them to Sara, who, in turn, left them to me.”

“All of the shares are supposed to remain in the family. Warner insisted on it.”

“He made an exception when he and Brinker founded the company. He needed Mary’s cash, so he met her terms. It’s all quite legal, I assure you. And rock solid. Mary and Sara handled their legal affairs with a trust. You know what lawyers say—wills are broken all the time, but trusts are almost impossible to take apart. I can vouch for that fact. In my work, we see plenty of examples of the strength of a well-designed trust.”

Jillian placed her perfectly manicured fingertips on the table and lowered her voice.

“According to Quinn, that wasn’t the way it was supposed to work,” she said.

Lucy laughed. “I can’t begin to tell you how many times I hear that in my profession.”

Jillian sat back, anger and confusion flashing across her face. “What, exactly, do you do for a living?”

“I’m a forensic genealogist.”

“What on earth is that?

“I spend my days tracking down lost heirs and connecting them with their inheritances.”

“I didn’t know there was such a profession.”

“I get that a lot.”

Jillian’s eyes glittered with suspicion. “Did you know that you were in line to inherit those Colfax shares?”

“It came as a complete surprise. I knew I was Sara’s heir, of course, but I never had a clue that she was one of Mary’s heirs.”

“Neither did anyone else in the known universe, damn it,” Jillian shot back.

Becky Springer chose that moment to arrive at the table with a graceful porcelain coffeepot decorated with yellow flowers. She poured the coffee into Jillian’s cup.

Two dark shadows fell across the bright café.

Becky glanced over her shoulder.

“Oh, look,” she said, affecting mild surprise. “Two latecomers for breakfast. I’d better make another pot of coffee.”

Jillian was sitting with her back to the door. She did not turn her head to see who had entered the room. It was obvious she couldn’t have cared less. She was completely focused on Lucy and the shares of Colfax Inc.

But Lucy watched, fascinated, as Mason and Deke prowled through the maze of delicate tables and chairs. She was not the only one paying attention. With the exception of Jillian, everyone else in the room glanced either surreptitiously or in outright curiosity at the men. In the pretty, sunlit space they stood out like a couple of Old West gunslingers traversing a flowered meadow.

Mason looked like he had gotten some sleep. The midnight shadow of a beard that she had noticed late last night was gone. He was dressed in jeans, a denim shirt and low boots.

Sara and Mary had often remarked that Mason resembled his uncle. Thirteen years ago, Lucy had not agreed. This morning the family link between the two was starkly clear. Deke’s once dark hair had gone steel gray. But the shared genetic heritage was there in the wolf-gold eyes, the fiercely etched features and the tough, lean lines of the two men.

“Something tells me Deke and Mason will want to join you two ladies,” Becky said. She winked at Lucy. “I’ll get two more cups.”

Jillian did turn around then. She shot a quick, uneasy look at Mason and Deke and then switched her attention back to Lucy.

“We can’t talk here. We need privacy.”

“I don’t have any problem chatting here,” Lucy said. Deliberately, she gave Mason and Deke a bright, welcoming smile. Deke nodded in acknowledgment. Mason looked amused.

Becky moved away from the table and greeted Mason and Deke.

“You two have a seat,” she said. “I’ll be right back with more coffee.”

“Thanks, honey,” Deke said.

He leaned over and gave Becky a quick, affectionate kiss as she went past him on the way to the coffee bar. It was the kind of easy good-morning kiss that two people who have been lovers for a long time exchanged.

Well, Lucy thought. So that’s how things stand in that quarter.

Mason must have noticed her reaction, because he flashed her a quick grin and winked.

And then both men were at the table. Neither of them was especially big, but between the two of them they managed to block out most of the sunlight pouring through the windows behind them.

“Well, well, well, little Lucy Sheridan,” Deke said. He gave Lucy a once-over and smiled approvingly. “Didn’t you turn out just fine? Figured you would.”