Chapter 6
6
“A bsolutely not,” Nikki said to Conrad the second he finished. “That’s absurd and will get you in even deeper trouble.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but she stopped him with a hand up.
“When we clear you of murder charges, you’ll still go to jail for holding me hostage.” She shook her head to emphasize the point.
“You don’t get a say,” he countered. “I agreed to let you come with me, which not only jeopardizes your freedom but could end any possibility of a future law career.”
Nikki pushed to her feet in two seconds flat. “I do get a say.” She took a deep, calming breath and then sat back down. The deep breaths might be her go-to when she was stressed, but they sure as hell weren’t helping her now. “Be reasonable instead of stubborn for once in your life.”
“I let you talk me into coming with me,” he said with a grunt. “That hardly qualifies as stubborn.”
“You had no choice,” she argued. “The deputy was on her way to arrest you, and I was going to follow you whether you said I could or not. That doesn’t count.”
It was Conrad’s turn to issue a frustrated sigh. “One thing is certain. You damn sure need to finish law school because you’re the best person at arguing your point I’ve ever come up against.”
Nikki couldn’t help but smile. It was a small upturn at the corners of her lips, but Conrad noticed it, too.
“At the very least, you’re the most confident person I’ve ever come across,” he said. “Even when you’re wrong, you’re strong.”
“I know I can be strong and wrong, but in this case, I’m right.” She studied him as he took a sip of coffee.
“I’ll think about it.”
Someone like Conrad wouldn’t make a promise he couldn’t keep. She took note of his response and moved on. At least he wasn’t arguing with her and was considering her point based on his intense expression. Worry lines creased his forehead and bracketed his mouth. But he was concerned for the wrong person. She might go down as aiding and abetting a criminal, but he was a murder suspect—two very different charges. “Please do. Because this is your life we’re talking about. Your freedom is at stake.”
He nodded before taking a sip of coffee while staring out the kitchen window. His gaze shifted to Hank. “We won’t take up any more of your time. Your hospitality is much appreciated.”
“Do you have a cell on either of you?” Hank asked.
Conrad shook his head.
“Good,” Hank said. “That means no one will track you here.”
“Not specifically, but law enforcement will canvas the area. If we get caught here, you’ll be in trouble.”
Hank threw his hands up in the air and widened his eyes. “I’ll be damned. I had no idea they were wanted by the law.” He placed the flat of his palms on the table. “See. It’s that easy.”
“Our memories can’t be relied on,” Irene interjected. “They aren’t what they used to be.”
Nikki was smiling and nodding her approval.
“We’ll stay long enough to get our bearings and figure out our next move,” Conrad said. “And not a minute longer. The less time we spend here, the better for both of your sakes.”
“While you’re here, we might as well put our heads together and see if we can come up with any ideas as to why someone would frame you,” Hank said to Conrad.
“The murderer would’ve already been on the property,” Conrad pointed out. “It happened so fast, and then they were gone.”
“Unless the person is hiding right underneath everyone’s nose,” Hank said. He paused. “What about the new one?”
“Beau?”
“That’s right,” Hank said. “The man showed up out of nowhere.”
“He was summoned by Harrison Guidry,” Conrad said.
“Was he in contact with Beaumont before then?” Hank asked.
“Not as far as I know.”
“The law will be securing a warrant to search your home and will ask for permission from the judge to examine phone records while they’re at it,” Nikki said. “Beau might be asked to volunteer his information, but since the law is focused on you, they likely won’t go there.”
“What does Beau have to gain by killing the family lawyer?” Conrad asked. “That’s the question that keeps looping in my mind. Another one is how Beau would benefit by setting me up for the crime.”
“And you can’t think of a reason?” Hank asked.
“It would add to his inheritance, but he’s already going to be a very rich man,” Conrad said. “Would he really be that greedy?”
“Only if you got the death penalty,” Nikki pointed out. “You can still inherit since the inheritance wasn’t something you came into because of the crime.”
Conrad conceded with a head tilt.
“What about selling the place?” Hank asked. “I’ve heard all kinds of rumors about discord running through your family about how to handle the ranch.”
“It’s true,” Conrad admitted. “However, we’ve reached an agreement for the time being.”
“Killing you would be obvious,” Irene surmised. “Sending you away for life gets you out of the picture.”
“Does Beau have any half-siblings that you don’t know about?” Nikki asked.
“None that he’s mentioned. Why?”
“Someone else could think they’re doing him a favor,” Nikki said. “They might even believe they could get a piece of the pie if something happened to each of you.”
“There’s six of us,” he said. “Wouldn’t they think the law would catch on at some point?”
“True,” Nikki conceded.
Irene threw her hands up in the air. “I wish there was something we could do.”
“You’re already doing too much,” Conrad said without hesitation. “Believe me when I say food and caffeine are more than enough.”
“How long do you reckon you can stay?” Hank asked.
“I wish we could wait until nightfall, but we should probably head out soon,” Conrad said.
“Where will you go?” Irene asked. The older woman once had dark hair that was now salt and pepper based on the hints of dark brown. It was thick with short, loose curls. She was medium heightandthin without being frail. Serious without being too intense. There was an underlying kindness in her demeanor that was foreign to Nikki. Her own mother could best be described as someone with sharp edges. She had shoulder-length straight hair and muscle tone courtesy of the gym. Nikki couldn’t remember a time when her mother had cooked a meal, so she’d learned her own way around the kitchen from an early age. In fact, her mother was most likely to observe the cocktail hour than dinner time.
As complicated as Nikki’s feelings might be toward her mother, she knew her mother would be worried to death. The fact just dawned on Nikki. Could she use the Zilker’s cell to call her mother and reassure her? Her stepfather would be worried. Since stepping into their lives, he’d been the worry wart. How many times had her mother called him that very term?
A successful construction business had kept him on the road enough for Nikki to become adept in the kitchen. Her mother mostly shoved food around on her plate with a fork while polishing off a glass of wine.
What would Nikki say to her mother and stepfather if she could get a message to them? That she was fine? That she was helping a friend?
As soft as her stepfather had always been with her, he had a harsher more controlling side. She’d overheard him talking to one of his foremen enough times to realize the man didn’t dicker around. He was serious about his work, kept a high standard, and expected others to live up to his demands. At fifty-three, he was on his third marriage. But this one, he’d said many times, was special. This one was the real deal.
Nikki loved her mother despite her shortcomings. Born in France, she’d followed her serviceman boyfriend back to America, then she’d convinced her parents to let her enroll in university. She’d fallen in love with Austin first and then Texas second and had stayed after the relationship had ended. Nikki’s father had been in law school when her parents met. Nikki’s mother often said the serviceman boyfriend had been the love of her life. Harrison Guidry had charmed her into thinking he really loved her. The heated fights and bruises had said otherwise, but those hadn’t come until after the wedding, which had followed a whirlwind romance.
The other side to Harrison had come out next, controlling and mean. Nikki’s mother had finally had enough, grabbed her daughter, and started over with nothing but the clothing on their backs.
So, no, Nikki didn’t dislike her mother. She understood her, which allowed her to love her. Nikki understood that her mother loved her in her own way. Not in the wrap you in a warm hug and heat you chicken soup when you were sick manner. But in the ‘not leaving you behind’ sense. That counted for something in Nikki’s book.
Fingers snapped a few inches in front of her eyes.
“Hey,” came Conrad’s low, masculine timbre. “Are you okay?”
No. And she would never be okay again.
“I’m good,” Nikki said, but Conrad didn’t believe her. How could he when she’d zoned out and gone to a dark place? It had to be dark based on her somber expression. “What were you saying again?” Whatever was going on in her mind, she’d snapped out of it. Her gaze focused on his, sending fireworks shooting through his chest.
Conrad refocused. “I was just saying that we’ve probably stayed too long as it is, and I don’t want to put Mr. and Mrs. Zilker in danger by being here.”
“I understand that you don’t want them to commit perjury, and I agree, but what makes you think they might be in danger?” she asked, blinking at him as she seemed to reconnect with the conversation.
“I had an argument with someone who is now dead. What if someone is intent on setting me up and follows me around to kill those I have contact with? Think about it. If anything happens to the Zilkers, we’ll be blamed. Our DNA is here.” His thoughts had gone to a dark place because he needed to anticipate what might happen next. What if someone had decided to set Conrad up? Would the person stop at Harrison Guidry? It had to be considered.
Nikki muttered a curse and then an apology to the older couple.
“Don’t apologize, child,” Hank said to her. “I just thought the same word.”
Conrad couldn’t put this kind couple in danger. “I have to go back to the ranch in order to search for evidence to clear my name.”
“Is that the best move, son?”
“I can’t think of another one,” Conrad said. “But I’d welcome ideas.”
“One of us could go for a visit,” Hank said.
“What reason would you have to visit?” Conrad asked.
Hank shrugged. “Give me a minute, and I’ll think of something.”
Irene snapped her fingers. “I know. We could borrow something. Both of us could go. You know how it is in these parts. Folks spend half an hour saying goodbye. And that’s just when you make it to the front porch. I could stall for time while Hank searched around the barn.”
Conrad didn’t immediately hate the idea. He didn’t love the thought of putting the Zilkers in harm’s way, either.
“I’m already risking your freedom,” he said to them. “I can’t risk your lives to boot.”
Irene gave a solemn nod.
“You remember the clubhouse that you and Jake built years ago around the lake?” Hank asked, placing his elbows on the table and steepling his fingers below his chin.
“Yes, I do.”
“No one ever goes there from what I hear,” Hank said.
“Being higher up would give us an advantage if anyone was heading our way,” Conrad said, nodding.
“I can pack sandwiches, and there’s an old cooler in the shed that no one’s using,” Irene added. “If anyone asks, we don’t know how that old thing disappeared.”
“It could be a good base since we’d be close enough to the ranch to make it there on foot,” Conrad said.
“I have an old jacket that I was about to donate to Goodwill,” Irene said, sizing up the oversized flannel that Nikki still had on and the lack of a coat or even a sweater on him. She turned to her husband. “Didn’t you say something about getting rid of an old hunting coat now that I got that new one for you last Christmas?”
“Sure did,” Hank said with a smile and a twinkle in his gray eyes. He got up from the table and then disappeared down the hall. He returned a few minutes later, wearing an even bigger grin. “I’ll just set these by the back door in case anyone might want them, which, of course, doesn’t apply to anyone here.” He winked.
“Who’s here?” Irene asked, scanning the room like Conrad and Nikki weren’t sitting two feet in front of her.
“Thank you,” Nikki mouthed.
“How can I repay you?” Conrad asked.
“Go find the bastard responsible and clear your good name,” Hank said before setting the items next to the door as promised.
Irene got up next and then disappeared for a few minutes before returning with a backpack. “This is Jake’s old camping bag. There’s a nice sleeping bag inside. It should keep you both warm tonight. Weatherman is promising a frosty one, but what does he know.”
She went to work in the kitchen, pulling supplies from the fridge to make those sandwiches she’d promised.
“Can I help you?” Nikki asked.
“Of course, dear.” Irene practically beamed.
Conrad picked up his knife, closed the blade, and tucked it back inside his jeans pocket.
“I don’t have a lot of cash, but you’re welcome to what I’ve got on me,” Hank said, but Conrad was already shaking his head.
“You’re doing enough for us already,” he said. “And I have a little money to get by on.”
“You sure about that?” Hank asked.
Jake’s family might not have a ton of zeroes in their bank account, but Conrad would have traded places with his buddy any day of the week. Jake had something Conrad couldn’t fathom—loving parents.
“A hundred percent, but thank you.”
“If you think of anything else you need, just let me know,” Hank said. Something dawned on him because he held up a finger, then disappeared. When he returned, he had a small flashlight. “I’m so used to using the one on my phone that I almost forgot to give you this. Batteries are new, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Irene’s got food working up.”
What Irene and Hank were doing right now must be what it was like to have parents taking care of you.
Emotion clotted in Conrad’s throat. All he could do was offer a handshake and his sincere thanks because words escaped him.
He glanced at Nikki, who gave him a determined, set smile.
The image of the two of them with their own family stamped his thoughts. He remembered her from years ago, but hadn’t known her. Even now, despite feeling like they’d known each other half their lives, she was a mystery.
Would she let him get to know her better?