'What kind of speculation?'
'He can put Dwayne in the same area as the killings, without any alibis so far. And he's using Dwayne's trouble with Sissy as a kind of motive.'
'Divorce as a motive for killing other women?' Caroline arched her brows. 'That gives about half the adult male population of the country a motive.'
'Seems pretty thin, doesn't it?'
'Then why do you look so worried?'
'Because Burns may be a first-class asshole, but he's not stupid. He knows Dwayne drinks, he knows how he was embarrassed by Sissy. And he knows Dwayne had an acquaintance with the victims. The one up in Nashville's the kicker.'
'Nashville?' Letting out a long breath, she nodded. 'Tell me.'
He'd hoped to keep it all from her for at least one day. But once he began, the words streamed out. Under them, she could sense the anger and a very real fear.
'What did your lawyer advise?'
'That we just go on as usual. Wait and see. Of course, if Dwayne could come up with an alibi for one of the nights, that would cool things off.' He popped open a beer, frowned into it. 'I got a call in to the governor. He's a little hard to reach today, but I expect he'll call me back tomorrow.'
She tried a smile, hoping to coax one from Tucker. 'He's a cousin, I suppose?'
'The governor?' He did smile, fleetingly. 'No. But his wife is. Odds are Burns is going to need a lot more to put the cuffs on Dwayne.'
'I can talk to my father if you like. He's corporate, but he knows some excellent criminal attorneys.'
Tucker tilted back the beer. 'Let's hope I don't have to take you up on it. The worst of it is, Caro, Dwayne's so scared he's doubting himself.'
'What do you mean?'
'He's worried that maybe when he was drunk, when he wasn't thinking straight, he might have-'
Her heartbeat skipped. 'My God, Tucker, you don't think-'
'No, I don't,' he said with a barely restrained fury. 'Jesus, Caroline, Dwayne's harmless as a puppy. He may flap around and scuffle when he's drunk, but he hurts only himself. And think,' he added, because he had been, and he'd been thinking hard. 'The way those women were killed. It was vicious, yeah. And sort of primal and wild, but it was also planned. Thought out clean and clever. A man's not clever with a head full of whiskey. He gets sloppy and stupid.'
'You don't have to convince me, Tucker,' she said quietly. But she wondered if he was trying to convince himself.
'He's my brother.' For Tucker, that said it all. He could see Dwayne now, sitting with old Mr. O'Hara. Tucker figured the jug they were passing was of O'Hara's own brew. And it wasn't lemonade. 'He'll be drunk as a skunk before nightfall. I haven't got the heart to cut him off.'
'Sooner or later you'll have to, won't you?' She put a hand on his cheek. 'Otherwise, you'll just be cutting him out. I've been thinking about what you said about families. Not just about taking a stand, but about making things right. I'm going to call my mother.'
'I guess what you're telling me is, if my advice is good enough for you, it ought to be good enough for me.'
She smiled. 'Something like that.'
With a nod, he looked back toward Dwayne. 'There's a place up in Memphis. It has a good reputation for helping people shake themselves loose of the bottle.
I think if I work it right, I could talk him into giving it a try.'
'Darling,' she said, easing into a delta drawl, 'with your talent you could talk a starving man out of his last crust of bread.'
'That so?'
'That's so.'
He leaned over to touch his lips to hers. 'That being the case, maybe I could talk you into doing something for me. Something I've had a hankering for.'
Caroline thought of the cool, empty house behind them, of the big canopied bed. 'I imagine you could persuade me.' More than willing, she melted into the kiss. 'What did you have in mind?'
'Well, you see, I've had this craving.' He turned his head to nip at her ear.
'I'm delighted to hear it.'
'I don't want to offend you.'
She chuckled against his throat. 'Please do.'
'I thought you might be a little shy, doing it out here in front of all these people.'
'I can-what?' With a half laugh, she pulled away. 'Do what in front of all these people?'
'Why, play a few tunes, darlin'.' His lips curved. 'What did you think I was talking about?' As his smile spread wickedly, he lifted a brow. 'Why, Caroline, I'm going to start thinking you have a one-track mind.'
'Yours certainly takes some interesting curves.' Blowing out a breath, she combed fingers through her hair. 'You want me to play?'
'Probably nearly as much as you'd like to be playing.'
She started to speak, then stopped and shook her head. 'You're right. I would like to.'
Tucker gave her a quick kiss. 'I'll go fetch your fiddle.'
Chapter Twenty-Nine
She was welcomed into the little band, but dubiously.
People settled back politely, very much, Caroline thought, as a class might when they were about to listen to a boring but respected lecturer.
It occurred to her that she'd grown accustomed to ovations when she took the stage. Obviously too accustomed, she thought now as her nerves began to jump. This little patch of grass beside Sweetwater Pond wasn't Carnegie Hall, but it was a stage of sorts. And her current audience was reserving judgment.
She felt ridiculous, absurdly out of place with her gleaming Stradivarius and Juilliard training. She was ready to babble an excuse and crawl away when she saw young Jim grinning at her.
'Well now, little lady.' Old Mr. Koons ran his fingers down his banjo strings and made them twang. He couldn't see more than three feet in front of himself, but he could still pick with the best of them. 'What's your pleasure?'
'How about 'Whiskey for Breakfast'?'
'That'll do her.' He tapped his foot for time. 'We'll get her going, missy, and you just come on in when you've a mind to.'
Caroline let the first few bars roll by. It was a good sound, full and cluttered. When the rhythm had caught, she tucked the violin on her shoulder, sucked in a deep breath, and cut loose.
And the feeling was good-full and cluttered. As fun was supposed to be. The hand clapping from the audience kept time sharply. There was plenty of hooting, and when someone picked up the lyrics, they were given a shout of approval.
'I do believe that fiddle of yours is smoking,' Koons told her, then took a moment to spit out a chaw. 'Let's keep her going.'
'I know only a few,' Caroline began, but Koons waved her protest aside.
'You'll pick her up. Let's try 'Rolling in My Sweet Baby's Arms.' '
She did pick it up. Her ear and instinct were keen enough. When the trio segued into the blues, then bounced back with a raucous rendition of 'The Orange Blossom Special,' she was right there with them.
She lost herself in the pleasure of it. Even so, she noted Burns watching her-and watching Dwayne. She saw Bobby Lee cuddle Marvella into a dance when they slowed things down with 'The Tennessee Waltz.' The music poured through her, but she noted that Tucker had his head together with Burke in what looked like a private and
