Chapter 14
Fourteen
A fter Ethan left, Jane felt drained. Could this really be her life? She did everything right. She bought land, hired locals, made friends in town—what more could she do?
Sheriff McGrumpy struck again and accused her of killing a man. Well, not in so many words, but still. And he also accused her of bringing trouble to Beaver Creek. Really? How could he even think that?
Jane stood and walked over to her window. The serenity she hoped for was marred with yellow tape and people gathering evidence. The coroner’s wagon had just pulled away. She needed to gather her thoughts and clear her name. But how?
Jane closed her eyes and let her mind drift. Drift back to simpler days when she and Mike were first married. When all she had to worry about was writing that next novel and making love in their new home. Mike was her everything. Her parents loved him, her brother Rob and stepsister Grace loved him, and her friends did too.
What was she going to do? Her stomach clenched. Trying to focus on the positive wasn’t working. Maybe she’d crawl back into bed and when she woke up, this would all seem like a nightmare.
Why would she kill David Thornton? And then dredge the killing ground? His threats weren’t the first she’d ever received. Did the sheriff think she was stupid?
Being a mystery writer and delving into the criminal’s mind, researching and interviewing some of the creeps, had given her a hard shell—but that shell was cracked.
Jane sighed. How could she fix this? The one thing she wouldn’t wait on was letting Ethan investigate on his own. She knew how that worked.
First, she got a pad of paper. Put Thornton’s name at the top. Then she wrote suspects.
Crap, the only suspect that came to mind was her.
Damn.
After leaving Jane’s house, Ethan walked back to the pond. The air that had been so fresh and crisp this morning smelled like death. He felt shitty. Accusing Jane of murdering Thornton wasn’t his best idea. But she could have been lying when she said she didn’t own a gun. He really didn’t think she had killed the man, but so far, she was the only one with the means, motive and opportunity. The question was, why? Jane won the bidding war. What was missing?
He decided to visit Tanner, ask him if he noticed anything weird going on at Jane’s farm. Ethan parked his truck and walked into the kitchen. Tanner was just coming in from outside.
“This is a surprise,” Tanner said. “I never see you during the day. So, what’s going on at Jane’s farm?”
“Ugh.” Ethan grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot Tanner had going most of the day. “Someone killed David Thornton, wrapped him in chains, and threw him into the pond. Hal was excavating and dug up his body.”
“No shit!” Tanner pulled out a chair and sat across from him. “Although I can believe it. Thornton was shady and a bully.”
“Regardless, he didn’t deserve to die,” Ethan replied. “I’ve got to make a list of suspects. So far, Jane is the only name.”
“Why Jane?” Tanner looked confused. “That makes no sense. She had no cause to kill him. Besides, she’s a small, slender woman.”
Ethan looked at his brother. “You’re preaching to the choir.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know where I’m even going to look. Maggie Thornton is back in town. Maybe she has some ideas.”
Silence.
Tanner took a gulp of coffee and slammed his mug down. “Damn. I guess you’ll find out eventually.”
“What are you talking about?” Ethan looked over at Tanner, who looked very guilty. “Please tell me you have had nothing to do with Thornton.”
“I wish.” Tanner took a deep breath and released it. “Just before Jane bought the farm, I was at the Harvest Moon when Thornton came in. I know you heard about Thornton’s grandfather claiming grandpa and ol’ man Jenkins promised to sell this land to him.”
Ethan nodded.
“Told me he was buying Jenkins’s farm and finally getting what could have been his. Then he would cut off our supply of water from the stream. I told him ‘over my dead body’ and to go to hell.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Ethan shouted. Was he going to have to add Tanner’s name to his list of potential suspects? “Did anyone witness this?”
Tanner shrugged. “No. Maybe. It was early afternoon. The diner was practically empty.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I didn’t think it was important. Thornton was talking shit.”
Ethan rubbed his hands through his hair. What a clusterfuck.
“Also …”
Fuck. There was more.
Tanner sighed. “He came by the farm a couple of weeks ago, threatening me again. I told him to get off the property or I’d get my shotgun. There may have been blows exchanged.” Tanner picked up his cup, took a sip, sighed and took another sip before setting the cup down.
“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Ethan muttered. Was he in an alternate universe?
First, it was Jane who looked suspicious. Now Tanner. Who was next?