Chapter 2
2
H ot on Nikki’s heels came the deputy she hoped wouldn’t follow. Combs was a step behind and almost smacked into Nikki’s back when she stopped to open the business office door in the barn.
Conrad’s lips compressed into a thin line. “Guilty as charged without a fair trial? Is that how your father would have conducted business?”
“How should I know?” Nikki shot back. “I barely knew the man.” She issued a sharp sigh. “In fact, you probably saw more of him than I ever did.”
“I didn’t do it,” Conrad said, plain as the nose on his chiseled face. He’d been skinny and tall in her memory, but Conrad had filled out. His thick, dark hair was cut short. Long black lashes framed espresso-colored eyes. His physical presence filled the room.
“I don’t believe you,” she fired again.
“Why should I care if you do?” he asked, but a moment of hesitation said he did care very much about others believing his innocence.
Nikki didn’t want to notice. She didn’t want to care. She wanted time with her father to fix their broken relationship or find closure.
The reality that it was too late wasn’t something she could accept. Not yet. Leaving their relationship unfinished, without any sense of closure, would keep her awake at night.
“According to witnesses, you were chopping wood before the murder,” Nikki said. Those unbelievable words bounced around the outside of her mind, unable to find a crack to seep into. She couldn’t believe the man who had been larger than life was gone.
“We’ve already covered this, but thank you for the reminder,” Conrad said, folding muscled arms across a broad chest.
“My fath— Harrison Guidry was murdered with an ax.” Again, those words didn’t seem possible.
“Are you a prosecutor?” Conrad asked.
“Law student,” she admitted. “Top of my class.”
“Well, guess what, Ms. Top Of Your Class, you aren’t welcome on Sturgess land, which means you’re trespassing. Since there’s a no trespassing sign posted at the entrance, you need to leave.”
“I was invited,” Nikki quipped.
“Not by me,” he said, straightening, “and certainly not by any of my family members.”
Nikki blew out a breath.
“I’m sorry for your loss, ma’am, but you don’t have a right to be here quizzing Mr. Sturgess,” Deputy Combs said. “Since Mr. Sturgess has asked you to leave, you need to get inside your vehicle and go.”
“No,” Nikki said for lack of anything better.
“I don’t think you understand, ma’am,” Combs said. “That wasn’t a question.”
Nikki fumed at the idea she was about to be removed from the Sturgess property when she hadn’t done anything wrong. “Why did you do it, Conrad?”
“I already told you there’s been a mistake.” The look in his eyes had her wavering. Was it possible someone else had picked up the ax and…
The image of her father dying in such a brutal manner stamped her thoughts. Tightly fisting her hands at her sides, her fingernails dug into her palms.
“The only mistake is me expecting to get the truth out of you,” Nikki ground out as tears pricked the backs of her eyes. Oh no. She wasn’t about to cry. She didn’t do tears. Crying in front of the suspect wasn’t professional.
This was personal, a small voice inside her pointed out. This was the father she would never be able to speak to again. This was the father she could never make things right with before it was too late. Too late was here. And she had to live with the way she’d talked tohim in their last conversation for the rest of her life.
Hot tears spilled down her cheeks.
In a surprise move, Conrad closed the distance between them in a few strides and held her. She didn’t resist. Couldn’t resist. A tidal wave of emotions pinned her arms to her sides. All she could do at that moment was lean in until the tsunami was finished with her.
Nikki wasn’t certain how long she stood there, being reassured by Conrad. Memories of his kindness from the past flooded her while she was in his arms. His unique scent of sandalwood, the outdoors, and spice filled her senses as she breathed. When she pulled back, she realized they were alone in the barn. With the door open, hushed voices could be heard from just outside the office.
“Thank you,” she said to him. Would he really go to the trouble to comfort her if he’d just murdered her father? It dawned on her there were no blood stains on his clothing. Once the details came from forensics, which would take time, it would be easier to identify the perp. Though, fingerprinting wasn’t a perfect science when it came to murder scenes. She turned her head to the side so he couldn’t see her tear-soaked face this close.
A strong hand cupped her chin, then tilted her face toward his.
“I’m sorry this happened to your father,” Conrad said with the kind of honesty that caused those words to burrow deep in her chest. “I have every intention of finding the bastard who did this to him.”
There was no one more invested in finding the real killer than Conrad. Doing so would clear his name.
“Are you going to be arrested?” Nikki asked after thanking him for his kind words.
“That remains to be seen,” he said.
“Do you have any idea who would set you up?”
He shook his head.
“I blew in here on fire,” she said to him. “I accused you of murder. Why are you being so kind to me now?”
“Because you just lost your father, and I know what that’s like.” His deep baritone was laced with compassion.
“You saw more of my father than I did,” she countered.
He almost leveled her with his gaze. “We both know what kind of people Beaumont and Harrison were.”
“I know by reputation only,” she admitted.
“You and I aren’t so different.”
Those words rang truer than she cared to admit. Did it mean she trusted Conrad was telling the truth?
Staring into those dark roast eyes stirred feelings in her that she didn’t need to revisit right now.
“Will someone bail you out if you’re arrested?” she asked.
“Yes.” He shot a look that was hard to read. “But I’m hoping it won’t come to that.”
“Are you serious about finding out who did this to my father?”
“As serious as an unexpected spring thunderstorm,” he said.
The word deadly came to mind.
“Then, you just picked up a shadow.”
“No, I didn’t,” he said, shaking his head. “Sounds to me like I just picked up a partner.”
“I work alone.” Could she leave school midsemester? Speak to her professors? Despite being at the top of her class, she’d never liked law school.
“Neither one of you is going to work on this investigation if you know what’s best for you,” Deputy Combs said as she stepped into the doorframe.
“I’m Travis, by the way,” said the man who’d been in the office with Conrad when she’d first blazed in. “I’m the acting sheriff.”
Nikki took the hand he offered.
“I also happen to have personal involvement with the Sturgess family, so I won’t be officially working on the investigation,” Travis said.
Nikki glanced at Conrad, who’d taken a couple of steps back and was now sitting on the edge of the desk. She immediately felt the cold chill in his absence.
One look exchanged between them told her everything she needed to know. They were going to tackle this together.
“Thank you for stopping by,” Conrad told Deputy Combs, clasping his hands together.” If there’s nothing else you need from me, I’d like to get back to work.”
“I have your statement,” Sandy said. “I’m not judging you as a flight risk. However, be warned that I’m not only putting my reputation on the line by not arresting you, but I’m putting my boss’s on the line, too.”
She didn’t need to spell it out. Conrad was painfully aware his actions reflected on the acting sheriff.
“Understood,” was all he said before shifting his gaze to Travis, who nodded.
After a quick round of goodbyes, Conrad was alone with Nikki.
“I’d ask for a list of people who don’t like my father or who might have had a disagreement with him lately, but I’m afraid the list will be too long,” Nikki said, taking a seat opposite the desk. There were two leather chairs on the other side of the massive oak desk. An executive chair sat prominently behind the oak. It was expensive leather. The kind of chair that reminded everyone who entered the space who was in charge. Aside from the desk and chairs, a trophy case lined the back wall. Beaumont had believed in winners and nothing else.
“Our fathers had a lot in common,” Conrad said, sighing. “But something you said has been bothering me.”
“What’s that?”
“You asked who might want to set me up,” he said.
“I was angry,” she admitted, “throwing out the first words that came to mind.”
“Doesn’t mean you weren’t right.”
Nikki leaned back in the chair. Her dark brow furrowed. She resembled a younger Lily Collins. Conrad had seen the actress in an airport once. Nikki was even more beautiful with her long, silky, raven-colored hair. She put her elbows on the armrests and steepled her fingers as she sank deeper into the chair. The words deep in thought came to mind as her gaze unfocused.
A second later, Kade knocked on the open door. He was the oldest of the siblings. Beaumont had given Kade the most responsibility in the will. However, Kade wanted nothing to do with the ranch or taking his “rightful” place at the helm. Changing the ranch’s name had helped convince him to stay on while they made final decisions. Making room for underperforming or injured racehorses to live out their lives in peace instead of being destroyed had also helped convince Kade to stick around. Most of the siblings were eager to sell the place at the will reading but needed a unanimous vote. Their half-brother Beau had been the holdout. Conrad hadn’t made up his mind yet. There hadn’t been a whole helluva lot of good times growing up here. But just like injured horses, he wasn’t ready to chunk the ranch. Instead, he wanted time to figure out if the place was redeemable.
Kade’s gaze shifted to Nikki almost immediately. Recognition dawned. “If this is a bad time to talk, I can come back.”
“Come in,” Conrad said. It was almost dinner time. His stomach picked that moment to remind him of the fact.
“I’m Nikki.”
“I know,” Kade said. “Don’t get up.”
“It’s been a long time,” she said.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Kade stated. Having a family had softened some of his older brother’s rough edges.
“Thank you,” Nikki said.
“How are you holding up?” Kade asked, shifting his focus to Conrad.
Conrad grimaced. “As well as can be expected.”
“I know we can’t collect on any of the inheritance, but I have a little money saved in case you need bail.” Kade shook his head; a look of frustration darkened his features. “The twins are on their way back to the ranch.”
“Is that necessary?”
“The family wants to rally around you,” Kade said.
They’d learned to have each other’s backs growing up under Beaumont’s abuse, but each family member had gotten the hell out the minute they’d turned legal age and/or graduated high school. Chloe, the only female in the family, had taken off at seventeen.
“I appreciate it,” Conrad said.
“I’d like to be involved in the investigation on the Sturgess side,” Nikki interjected.
Kade lifted an eyebrow. “Thanks for the offer, but we—”
“With all due respect, it’ll be easier and more efficient if we share information rather than work on this case separately,” Nikki said, catching Kade off guard.
“This is a private family matter,” he said, digging his heels in. That was Kade. Once he got an idea in his head, he was a mule. Arguing in the Sturgess family proved useless, so Conrad didn’t. He didn’t always agree but bit his tongue when it came to the majority opinion.
“Not so private when it’s my dad who is dead,” Nikki said. She stood up. “I know how close my father was to the Sturgess family.”
“He was close to Beaumont,” Kade corrected. It struck Conrad that Kade had been the one to butt heads with Harrison Guidry the most. Would he be added to the suspect list? Getting the lawyer out of the way would make it easier to hire someone else like Kade had demanded. Beau had been the holdout on removing Guidry.
Nikki frowned. “That may be so, but—”
“I’d like her to stay,” Conrad spoke up. “In fact, I insist.”
Kade opened his mouth to argue, then froze. And then, he snapped his mouth shut. “Have it your way.”