Like Jared himself.

  Eventually, the air cooled and they quickly dressed, packing up their belongings and heading back to the house. Misty's steps slowed the closer they came to the imposing edifice. She had to admit that she wasn't all that thrilled about going back. She wanted Jared and Eli to find the person that murdered Adam, but it wasn't easy living among the suspects.

  Even if every single one of them was innocent, they were still difficult people to be around. She'd love to sleep in her own bed tonight, knowing that her children were tucked in just down the hall. She missed the sound of their voices and their warm hugs and kisses before bedtime.

  As they approached the back patio, they could hear raised voices and see Dahlia, Taylor, Sandra, and Eli standing next to the pool. Dahlia's arms were gesturing wildly and Taylor was crying.

  "Does it make me a bad person if I tell you that I kind of want to turn around and go back to where we came from?" Misty asked with a sigh. She wasn't used to this much drama. "I'm a horrible person. Just awful."

  "You're not a horrible person. Why don't you slip upstairs and I'll help Eli with whatever this is. You don't have to deal with it."

  That sounded like heaven but she couldn't let Jared do this on his own.

  "Nope, I'm the reason we're here this weekend. I'm not abandoning ship."

  The voices were louder as they grew closer. Dahlia's face was red and so was Sandra's. Taylor was sobbing, her face swollen from the tears.

  "I've got two men checking out that area," Eli said, his voice loud but calm. "I always have a man watching the gate. If anyone is on the estate, they'll find them."

  Shaking her head, Dahlia dashed at a few tears that were rolling down her own cheeks.

  "Like you've found the person that killed my father? He ended up dead, Sheriff. My daughter and myself could have been killed today. Do you understand that?"

  "I understand perfectly well and I'm doing all I can."

  Eli turned to Jared, an expression of relief on his face. "There you are. We were worried about both of you."

  "I told you that we were going for a walk and a picnic."

  "A picnic?" Sandra repeated, her voice shrill. "You were on a picnic while my daughter and granddaughter were almost killed. We thought that perhaps you were both dead as well."

  Jared held up his hands in a stop motion. "Can we stop a second here and rewind? I think we've missed a significant portion of this conversation. This is the first we've heard that anyone had an attempt on their life."

  Eli nodded in agreement. "You're right. You have missed the beginning. Apparently, Dahlia and Taylor were horseback riding back on the trails and they heard three shots being fired. Dahlia's horse is a little jumpy and he took off, so Taylor went off after her mother to try and catch them, slow them down. She did eventually and now my guys are combing the trails looking for whomever might have shot at them."

  Another murder attempt? Holy hell, was someone trying to pick off the Reynolds family one by one? And for what reason?

  "They both could died," Sandra said again. "First Adam and now Dahlia and Taylor. This entire family is in danger. We could all be killed in our sleep tonight."

  "I'm not going to let anyone else be murdered," Eli replied firmly. "I've called in all my part-time deputies and even borrowed a few from the neighboring county that are looking for overtime. We're going to keep a close watch on everyone."

  Taylor was still crying but Dahlia and Sandra appeared somewhat mollified. No one, however, looked happy. Least of all Eli.

  A deputy jogged onto the patio then, holding what looked like a shotgun wrapped in a handkerchief.

  "Sheriff, we found this near the property line. It looks recently fired."

  Eli accepted the firearm from the deputy, examining it from end to end. He held out the gun for Dahlia's inspection.

  "There are initials on the handle. D and R. Is this your rifle, Dahlia?"

  Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "It's not mine."

  "I know who that belongs to," Taylor said, pointing to the gun. "It belongs to David. That's his. I've seen him use it when he goes hunting. David tried to kill us."

  David? Honestly, it wasn't a far stretch. He'd already said some nasty things about his father. Would he try to kill his sister and niece too?

  It looked like Eli and Jared needed to have a chat with David Reynolds.

  14

  This was certainly an interesting turn of events. Jared hadn't had the most fuzzy and warm feelings for David Reynolds from the beginning so he wasn't at all shocked that he might be a strong suspect in his father's death.

  Currently, Eli had several deputies scouring the estate looking for the man but so far, he hadn't turned up. His vehicle was still in the garage though, so he should be on the property.

  Jared, on the other hand, was sticking close to the house and keeping an eye on the residents. While they - including Misty - were all in the living room talking and comforting Taylor, he took the opportunity to call Jason, who had sent a text earlier that he had some information.

  "How's it going down there?" Jason asked when he picked up the phone. "Any closer to finding the killer?"

  "Maybe," Jared replied. "Someone took a couple of shots at Dahlia and her daughter Taylor while they were out riding. One of their deputies found a rifle with David Reynolds' initials on it. They're looking for him now."

  "They shot at them?"

  "According to Dahlia, she heard three shots and then her horse bolted."

  "Three shots?"

  "You keep repeating everything I'm saying."

  Jason chuckled. "You're right, I am. I'm just trying to picture the scene. The two of them were riding and someone was waiting for them, presumably in a location that would allow them to see and be close enough to their victims to shoot them but not be seen. Then they shot three times, missed all three times and then disappeared, leaving the firearm behind. That doesn't bother you in any way?"

  Frankly, Jared hadn't had time to think about the scenario but now that his friend had pointed it out...

  It did seem a little weird.

  "I guess the person could be a lousy shot."

  "They could," Jason conceded. "Or maybe they weren't trying to kill anyone. They might have been trying to scare them. I don't know that for sure but it's something to think about."

  "I'll be thinking about it." Jared rubbed at the back of his neck where the muscles were tightening up painfully with stress. "I hope you have better news for me than I had for you."

  "I definitely have news but I don't know if it's good or bad. We've been elbow deep researching the Reynolds family since you called. It's all hands on deck here so we can get you back as soon as possible."

  "Tell everyone that dinner is on me when we get back. I'm grateful."

  "I'll tell them you'll buy them a juicy steak. Now I'll go over the information with you on the phone, but then I'll send the detailed research to your email."

  "I'll keep an eye out for it."

  "First, I found out there were some rumors that Adam Reynolds was thinking of selling Chipper Shopper. They started a few months ago, I'm assuming right after his diagnosis. Whether he was actually in any talks or negotiations I don't know. Certainly, he would have had interest if he wanted to sell."

  "He didn't say anything about it when we talked to him," Jared said. "But then we didn't really talk business with him. He and Misty mostly talked about her mother, and she told him about her childhood. What else did you find out?"

  "We'll start with his ex-wife Sandra. From what I was able to dig up, her husband pretty much cheated on her constantly. He had a year-long affair with Sandra's best friend and he's had NDA agreements with several women that worked for him. Apparently, Sandra mostly turned a blind eye in the beginning, but when the kids got older she eventually filed for divorce. They didn't have a prenup so she received a generous settlement. But to get that settlement she had to give up something. She gave up primary custody of the kids. He got that. Instead, she got every other weekend, two months in the summer, and a week at Christmas. That's it."

  "That's...strange. He pushed her out of her own children's lives. That's fucked up."

  Adam Reynolds was a real piece of work and this only made the billionaire even more of an asshole in Jared's eyes.

  "Exactly, and from what I could find Reynolds wasn't an involved parent. The kids were mostly raised by a series of nannies and babysitters. Eventually, Sandra moved closer to Adam when the kids were in their late teens and they all decided to try and be one big happy divorced family. As for what Sandra did before that, she traveled a great deal, mostly in Europe."

  "So Sandra had motive. Revenge for sending her away while the kids grew up."

  "Sadly, she's not the only one," Jason said grimly. "She's just the tip of the iceberg. David Reynolds wasn't fond of his father, either."

  "And he's vocal about it too," Jared agreed. "He'd barely met me and he told me how much he hated this house and his dad."

  "He has good reason to. David wanted to go to art school but his dad wouldn't let him. He forced his son to go to an Ivy League university and major in business. David wouldn't have gotten in without dear old dad greasing the wheels for him, either. His grades were mediocre and he didn't have much in the way of extracurriculars. Yet somehow, he managed entrance into one of the most exclusive schools in the country."

  "While in college," Jason went on, "David fell in love with another student and they planned to get married. Enter dear old dad. He decided that the female wasn't good enough for his son and paid the girl's mother off to convince her daughter that David was just playing with her affections. It's all kinds of fucked over."

  "I would hate my dad too," Jared declared. "Jesus, Adam Reynolds was a bastard."

  "It gets better. David finally graduates - barely – then starts working in the executive offices at Chipper Shopper just like daddy wants and then falls in love for a second time. His assistant. She gets pregnant, David proposes, and they head down to the courthouse to get married. This time he wasn't going to give his dad a chance to intervene, but it turns out he was too late. Reynolds literally had his son's office bugged for sound and knew the day they were headed to city hall. He had a couple of goons waiting for him and they kidnapped David and dragged him away. The stress for his fiancée was so bad she miscarried their child. Reynolds fired her and then sent David to work in London for a year."

  "Holy fuck. It's amazing no one murdered Adam before now."

  "I agree. Now Dahlia is a different story. She never fought her dad about anything. She married the man that he picked out for her and that was that. Eventually they divorced but by then she'd produced an heir and Reynolds was happy. Here's the creepy part. Taylor's upbringing was controlled by Adam, not Dahlia. The private school he sent her to didn't even realize she had a mother until Dahlia showed up at the graduation ceremony. It looks like he's been grooming Taylor to take over his business empire."

  "Which goes against the rumors that he was going to sell."

  "That's all they were. Rumors. Could be right, could be wrong. It's still interesting. Maybe Taylor had started to rebel and he decided to sell rather than deal with persuading her to toe the line. Remember, he didn't have long left and he probably didn't want to spend it arguing with his granddaughter."

  "She did seem close to her grandfather, but she also seems quite close to her mother as well. What else do you have for me?"

  "Lydia and Tom. First, Lydia has been with Adam Reynolds for years. Decades. She started with the company fresh out of college and worked her way up to being Reynolds' personal assistant."

  "Were they having an affair the whole time?" Jared asked.

  "It's hard to say. She was married at one point for a few years, but they divorced. She moved in with Reynolds about five years ago. I'm told she was pushing for marriage, but he was adamant about staying single."

  Jared couldn't see Lydia killing her significant other because he wouldn't marry her. It was a motive, but a weak one.

  "And Tom? What's his story?"

  "You're going to love this," Jason laughed. "He's married. Two kids."

  "Wait...he's married? But he was kissing Dahlia and Taylor."

  Tom should be exhausted.

  "Married. For about eight years. His wife and kids live in Monterey. He lives close to the Reynolds estate and goes home to visit about once a month. They rent a home, have two cars, one that's paid off, and they like to watch Netflix and order pizza on Saturday nights. They're saving to buy a house and Tom has been actively looking for a better-paying job with Chipper Shopper competitors which would be a huge issue. Tom has a non-compete clause in his employment contract. He's not allowed to work for a direct competitor for five years. I'm not sure how he was planning to pull that off. Maybe he was hoping that after Reynolds' death whoever took over wouldn't enforce it."

  "I would never have guessed it. I wonder if anyone knows or perhaps Adam found out. It gives Tom motive but once again not necessarily a strong one."

  "Reynolds has pissed off a bunch of people over the years, not surprisingly. Nothing that really stands out. People who have slipped and fell in his stores, employees that feel they weren't treated fairly. There is one lawsuit that is slightly more interesting. A builder suing for breach of contract. They're saying that Reynolds agreed to finance a fancy outdoor shopping mall and then backed out after signing the papers. Not much on this one. It's in the early stages of the lawsuit so there's not much information."

  "A billionaire being sued over contracts? Not that groundbreaking," Jared observed. "I'd be more shocked if he wasn't being sued by his business partners. In fact, I'm surprised we only found the one."

  "Me too," Jason agreed. "Although it only takes one slightly unhinged human being who feels they've been wronged. Was Reynolds receiving any threats before his death?"

  "Not that I know of, but I'll double check with Eli."

  "So tell me about this sheriff. Is he good? Do you think he can solve this case?"

  Jared had given this question some thought.

  "He seems like a good man, and yes, I think he can solve it without my help. I assume that was the unspoken part of your question."

  "It was, but I know you. You're not going to just up and leave him. You'll make sure this is solved. Not just because you can't stand loose ends, but for Misty."

  "She's having a tough time with this."

  "I would imagine. She'll be fine, though. She's a strong woman, and she has you, plus family and friends. As soon as you guys get home, we'll all go out for dinner. Brinley was mentioning that the other day."

  "We'll do that," Jared promised. "We've been homebodies quite a bit lately. Getting out and about would do us both good."

  "Good luck and call me if you need anything."

  Jared promised he would and they ended their call. He was glad that his friends were able to find out information regarding the Reynolds family, but it didn't really help all that much. Every single one of them was a suspect before and now...they were still suspects. It hasn't ruled out anyone. He and Eli needed another round of questioning.

  They'd start with David and his recently fired gun.

  15

  "I didn't do anything," David moaned, holding his head in his hands. He was sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee to try and sober up from another bender. "I've been sleeping for the last two hours."

  Sleeping was another word for passed out, apparently. This time they'd found him asleep in the utility shed among the clay pots and fertilizer.

  "Is this your rifle?" Eli asked, holding out the firearm. "Please be sure before answering."

  "It's mine. Those are my initials. But I didn't fire at anyone. I haven't used that gun in months."

  "Where do you store your firearms, David?" Jared asked. "Are they accessible to anyone else?"

  "They're stored in the hallway off the mud and laundry room. There's a cabinet there with the family firearms."

  Eli scribbled in his notebook. "Is it locked?"

  "Yes, but the key is hanging up by the back door." David pointed to a row of keys, each one hanging by a small hook on the wall. "Anyone in the house could have unlocked it."

  That made little to no sense to Jared.

  "Then why bother to lock them up?"

  "I dunno. That's how we've always done it." David took another gulp of black coffee. "Listen, I wouldn't hurt my sister or my niece. I love them, they're my family. I would never do that."

  "Did anyone see you go into the garage?" Eli queried. "Can anyone confirm your whereabouts this afternoon?"

  Scraping a hand through his hair, David shrugged. "I'm not sure. I grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the pantry after lunch and then went for a walk. I guess I ended up in the garage. I don't know how I got there. Everything after lunch is a blur."

  Eli sighed and shook his head. "Do you black out regularly?"

  "Sometimes."

  Jared could barely hear David's reply since he'd whispered it, his head down in shame. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph this was pathetic.

  "You need to seek help," Eli said firmly. "Professional help, and probably a month or two in a quality rehab. You're drinking is so out of control you have no idea whether you tried to kill your own family."

  David's head shot up. "I know I didn't do that. I love my family."

  "You didn't love your father," Jared pointed out. "You hated him."

  "I hated this house and I hated the way my father treated me, but I loved him. I wouldn't have hurt him. Ever."

  Jared's gut was telling him that this man was telling the truth, but he needed to push him a little bit. He needed to be sure.

  "You didn't hate him when he wouldn't let you go to art school? And you didn't hate him when he broke up your relationship and paid her mother off? You're a better man than I am, David, because I would have been pretty pissed off. Then Adam had the nerve to do it again, trying to get you to toe the family line. He kidnapped you from your own wedding ceremony. That didn't make you madder than hell? I guess you got a free trip to London out of it."