Wedlocked?!

“Heard what?” Annie prompted.

“Eden said that Sophia did have an argument with someone at the Austin Arms, where she was killed.”

“The night of the murder?” Annie exclaimed, gaping. “And Eden witnessed it?”

“Wouldn’t that have been convenient?” Lily asked. “No, it was a while ago, and Eden didn’t actually see it. Her husband—well, they weren’t married at the time—he was the one who was there. When the argument turned nasty, he became concerned for Sophia’s safety, so he stepped in. From what he said, she didn’t appreciate his interference. She turned on him like a shrew, demanding that he mind his own business. The whole scene must have been very unpleasant.”

Impatiently Annie waited for Lily to continue. Instead Lily plucked the fresh mint from her glass and sniffed it with obvious appreciation.

“Who was the man?” Annie demanded.

“Eden’s husband?” Lily asked, blinking.

Annie struggled for patience. “No, the man with Sophia.”

“Oh, I thought I told you.” Lily dropped the mint back into her glass. “It was Clint Lockhart. Ryan’s first wife, Janine, was Clint’s sister.”

“Do you think he and Sophia were involved?” Annie asked. “Is he attractive?”

Lily shivered delicately. “I certainly don’t think so, but there’s no accounting for some people’s taste. I guess you could say he was handsome in a very obvious way, though. I didn’t know him well, but he had an arrogance about him that made me uncomfortable. As though he expected women to drop at his feet.”

In Annie’s book, the man sounded like a possible suspect. “I know the type.” She made a note to call Eden. “He doesn’t work here anymore. Do you know why he left?”

Lily shrugged. “I don’t think Ryan ever mentioned it.”

“I wonder if the police questioned him,” Annie muttered as she leafed through the file Cole had given her.

The housekeeper came out and asked if either of them wanted more iced tea. Annie declined absently.

“Thank you, Rosita,” Lily replied. “The cookies were wonderful.”

The older woman was grinning widely as she left. “She’s worked here since she was fourteen,” Lily remarked when Rosita was out of earshot. “And she claims to be psychic. Isn’t that remarkable?”

“Uh-huh.” Having found the appropriate statement, Annie read it in silence. Her shoulders slumped with disappointment. “Unfortunately, Clint Lockhart has what appears to be an airtight alibi,” she told Lily. It didn’t sound as though he could have killed Sophia, but he certainly had been involved with her in some way. He might know more than he’d told the police. Perhaps it would be worth Annie’s time to check him out, after all.

“Do you think Ryan would have a snapshot of Lockhart I could borrow?” she asked.

Lily frowned. “Sure. There are a lot of family photos in the den. I’ll get one on the way out. But why do you want a picture of Clint?”

“Call it a hunch.” Shoving the papers back into her bag, she gave Lily a reassuring smile. “You’ve been a big help,” she said. “I’ll keep you posted.”

“I appreciate anything you can do for my case,” Lily replied, rising. “We’re lucky to have you.” Despite the shadow of worry in her eyes, her smile was warm. “I’ll get you that photo and then I’ll walk you to your car.”

When they got to Annie’s Volkswagen, she tucked the picture in her bag and promised to be in touch.

“Feel free to ask me anything,” Lily insisted. “I think you and my son will make a great team. Are you seeing him again soon?”

“We’re only working together on this one case,” Annie pointed out quickly. “I’m not certain just when I’ll be talking to him next, but rest assured that I’ll keep him informed of any developments.”

“Of course,” Lily murmured.

“Cole told me he’d be going back to Denver as soon as the trial is over,” Annie felt compelled to add, hoping she wasn’t dashing the other woman’s expectations that he would stick around.

“Texas has always been his real home,” Lily insisted. “Maybe he’ll change his mind about leaving.”

Where Cole lived meant nothing to Annie, and she nearly said as much. Then she felt a pang of pity for the woman facing her with such a brave front. If she wanted to pretend her son might stay in Texas, who was Annie to disillusion her? “Wouldn’t that be nice,” she said.

“I’m glad you think so.” Lily’s tone was bland, her expression innocent. Surely, in the midst of everything else she was going through, she wouldn’t be contemplating anything as ridiculous as a little matchmaking on the side, would she?

There was no way Annie could ask without looking like a complete fool. Frustrated, she bid Lily goodbye and climbed into her car. The interior was like an oven, the vinyl seat burning through the thin cotton of her slacks. At least the sudden discomfort was enough to distract her from the awkward and potentially humiliating idea of Cole’s mother playing Cupid.

Considering the circumstances, that would have been a real recipe for disaster.

Three

“Hey, bro, working hard as usual?” Hannah Cassidy asked in a teasing voice from the doorway to Cole’s borrowed office.

Cole looked up from his notes with a grin. He and his sister had always gotten along well. “How’s the wedding business?” he asked.

Hannah owned a shop called The Perfect Occasion. “Business is slow,” she replied. “I got tired of my own company, so I thought I’d come down and visit you.”

“Bull,” Cole responded mildly. “You came to check on your fiancé. All I am is a convenient cover story.”

Hannah blushed, and Cole wondered why he had ever thought she was plain. Perhaps it was because next to their mother and youngest sister, with their dramatic coloring, Hannah had appeared merely pretty. Now he had to admit that love had transformed her. Her gray eyes shimmered with quiet happiness and her normally pale cheeks were flushed a soft pink. “I wanted to see you too,” she protested. “You’re my favorite brother.”

“Your only brother,” Cole pointed out dryly before he relented and got to his feet. “Come on in.” He gave her a brief, hard hug. “How’s Mom today? Have you talked to her?”

A shadow flickered across Hannah’s face. “That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. On top of everything else she’s got to deal with right now, Mom’s worried about Maria.”

Cole clamped down on his annoyance. Their younger sister was as different from gentle Hannah as night from day. For as long as he could remember, Maria had been a huge pain—difficult, lazy and self-centered. Apparently it was too much to hope that for once in her life she’d put someone else’s needs ahead of her own.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “What’s our baby sister done now?”

Hannah closed the door behind her and took a seat, placing her leather purse in her lap. “Am I keeping you from your work?” she asked when she noticed the papers scattered across his desk.

Cole shook his head impatiently. “I’m just making a list of things for the investigator to look into.” He’d paged Annie, but so far she hadn’t responded. “Tell me about Maria.”

Hannah folded her hands neatly on her purse. “Ever since she got back from California last year, she’s been acting odd, even for her.”

“How so?” Cole prompted.

“For one thing, she’s always criticizing Ryan, insisting that he’s just taking advantage of Mom and that he’ll never marry her.”

“Good grief,” Cole exclaimed. “All men aren’t like the jerks Maria hangs out with. Ryan adores Mom. What’s Maria thinking?”

Hannah shrugged. “Mom hardly sees her, and then, when she does, Maria goes on about how Ryan will end up breaking Mom’s heart.”

Cole swallowed a curse. “From the beginning, she’s been dead set against Mom and Ryan’s relationship. Maybe she’s jealous because our mother has found a good man who genuinely cares for her.”