agreed.
“Exactly, but the story gets worse. Everyone’s assuming the guy I killed broke the window, but there’s no way he could have. The night that happened, he was in Baton Rouge at a charity event with over a hundred witnesses.”
Zach frowned. “And you have no idea who did it?”
Carter shook his head, but something in his expression made Zach wonder if the sheriff had his suspicions. “So you think someone has their own purpose for lurking.”
“I have to wonder. First Alaina and now Danae are swearing they saw someone in the house. I don’t like to think either of them is imagining it.”
“But after what happened to Alaina, wouldn’t Danae be on edge? I mean, they’re sisters. I assume they’re close.”
“Not at all. Until this morning, Alaina didn’t even know Danae was her sister. None of us did. When Danae came to town, she did it under an assumed name and took a job waitressing at this café.”
Zach stared at Carter, confused. “Why weren’t they in contact before? Are you telling me Alaina didn’t recognize her own sister?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. When their mother died, Purcell shipped the three girls off to distant relatives at all ends of the country. They had no way to contact each other. Alaina wrote letters to Purcell once she was older, trying to find her sisters, but he never answered. Danae was only two years old when their mother died. Alaina was only seven.”
Zach felt a ball of anger form in his stomach and he clenched his jaw. His mother had passed when he was five, but at least he’d had his father. Those girls had been pawned off on strangers. “What a worthless son of a bitch.”
“We are in complete agreement on that point.”
The cook shoved two plates of food onto the sideboard and threw a dish towel onto the counter. “I’m going on break,” he barked at the waitress as she came to deliver the food. He pushed past her and shoved open the back door, scowling at them before he slipped through the opening.
The waitress slid two plates covered with huge chicken-fried steaks, mashed potatoes and corn in front of them. “You two going to stop jawing long enough to eat?” she asked and grinned.
“Oh, yeah,” Carter said and managed a smile.
“You got a problem with the cook?” Zach asked after the waitress walked away.
“You noticed that, huh?”
“I thought he gave me a dirty look when I sat down, but now I realize you were walking up behind me at the time. Since I’ve never met the man, I’m assuming the look was for you.”
Carter nodded. “It was for me, all right, but don’t think he’s going to be any happier with you. Jack Granger spent twenty years playing errand boy for Purcell, who apparently promised him untold riches when he died.”
“But the money wasn’t Purcell’s, right? I mean, that’s what I gathered from William when we spoke about the situation in regard to the condition of the house.”
“It was never Purcell’s to give, but that didn’t stop him from making promises. Jack recently took up with a widow with a sick girl. He was counting on that money to pay for medical care they can’t afford.”
“That sucks.” Zach’s heart went out to the surly cook and the sick girl.
“It does,” Carter agreed, “and I was ready to feel all kinds of sorry for him but then he started drinking again. And when Jack is drunk, he’s stupid and mean.”
Suddenly, Zach understood what Carter was getting at. “You think he might be behind the break-in?”
“It’s crossed my mind more than once. Especially as he threatened to ‘show us all’ when I tried to talk some sense into him.”
“You think he’s trying to scare them away from their inheritance? Would he get anything?”
Carter frowned. “I don’t know what happens to the money if the sisters don’t meet the terms of the will. That’s something that I was going to cover with William, but everything with Alaina went down before I got
“Exactly, but the story gets worse. Everyone’s assuming the guy I killed broke the window, but there’s no way he could have. The night that happened, he was in Baton Rouge at a charity event with over a hundred witnesses.”
Zach frowned. “And you have no idea who did it?”
Carter shook his head, but something in his expression made Zach wonder if the sheriff had his suspicions. “So you think someone has their own purpose for lurking.”
“I have to wonder. First Alaina and now Danae are swearing they saw someone in the house. I don’t like to think either of them is imagining it.”
“But after what happened to Alaina, wouldn’t Danae be on edge? I mean, they’re sisters. I assume they’re close.”
“Not at all. Until this morning, Alaina didn’t even know Danae was her sister. None of us did. When Danae came to town, she did it under an assumed name and took a job waitressing at this café.”
Zach stared at Carter, confused. “Why weren’t they in contact before? Are you telling me Alaina didn’t recognize her own sister?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. When their mother died, Purcell shipped the three girls off to distant relatives at all ends of the country. They had no way to contact each other. Alaina wrote letters to Purcell once she was older, trying to find her sisters, but he never answered. Danae was only two years old when their mother died. Alaina was only seven.”
Zach felt a ball of anger form in his stomach and he clenched his jaw. His mother had passed when he was five, but at least he’d had his father. Those girls had been pawned off on strangers. “What a worthless son of a bitch.”
“We are in complete agreement on that point.”
The cook shoved two plates of food onto the sideboard and threw a dish towel onto the counter. “I’m going on break,” he barked at the waitress as she came to deliver the food. He pushed past her and shoved open the back door, scowling at them before he slipped through the opening.
The waitress slid two plates covered with huge chicken-fried steaks, mashed potatoes and corn in front of them. “You two going to stop jawing long enough to eat?” she asked and grinned.
“Oh, yeah,” Carter said and managed a smile.
“You got a problem with the cook?” Zach asked after the waitress walked away.
“You noticed that, huh?”
“I thought he gave me a dirty look when I sat down, but now I realize you were walking up behind me at the time. Since I’ve never met the man, I’m assuming the look was for you.”
Carter nodded. “It was for me, all right, but don’t think he’s going to be any happier with you. Jack Granger spent twenty years playing errand boy for Purcell, who apparently promised him untold riches when he died.”
“But the money wasn’t Purcell’s, right? I mean, that’s what I gathered from William when we spoke about the situation in regard to the condition of the house.”
“It was never Purcell’s to give, but that didn’t stop him from making promises. Jack recently took up with a widow with a sick girl. He was counting on that money to pay for medical care they can’t afford.”
“That sucks.” Zach’s heart went out to the surly cook and the sick girl.
“It does,” Carter agreed, “and I was ready to feel all kinds of sorry for him but then he started drinking again. And when Jack is drunk, he’s stupid and mean.”
Suddenly, Zach understood what Carter was getting at. “You think he might be behind the break-in?”
“It’s crossed my mind more than once. Especially as he threatened to ‘show us all’ when I tried to talk some sense into him.”
“You think he’s trying to scare them away from their inheritance? Would he get anything?”
Carter frowned. “I don’t know what happens to the money if the sisters don’t meet the terms of the will. That’s something that I was going to cover with William, but everything with Alaina went down before I got
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