“Yes you were,” said Gemma. “I know it for sure.”
“No, I wasn’t. And anyway, it would be your word against mine.”
Payne sneered. “Half.”
“You’re crazy.”
Lyndsey walked towards the barn entrance.
“You’ve got twenty-four hours,” called Payne after her.
Gemma smacked her sister’s arm. “What are you doing?”
“What? We deserve half.”
“We should turn her in if you think she killed him.”
“We should get half.”
“But she got the house. What if she kicks us out?”
Payne shrugged. “Then she’s going to jail.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Charlotte entered Sheriff Carter’s station to find it bustling with activity. By comparison, Frank’s station usually felt like a library, though the idea of Deputy Daniel reading anything besides Guns & Ammo magazine was a stretch.
Carter strode into the waiting area and spotted her. He stopped in his tracks.
“What are you doing here?”
“I have something I want to show you regarding the Miller homicide. Do you have a second?”
Carter smiled. “Sure. Follow me.”
He led her back down the hall to his office and shut the door behind her.
“What’s up?”
She held out the two paternity tests. “This is the paternity test Miller supposedly used to prove Lyndsey was his biological daughter. It was included in the will.”
“Okay.” Carter took the sheet and glanced over it. “And the other?”
“This is a copy of a paternity test Mina had in her possession, proving Miller is the real father of the twins.”
“The twins? But that would mean—”
“That he had an affair with his brother’s wife. She was in the process of blackmailing him when she died.”
Carter whistled. “Boy, it’s crazy when you find out what old people did when they were young.”
“You have no idea,” muttered Charlotte.
Carter glanced at the other sheet and then dropped them to his sides. “So what does this prove other than the fact Miller was a world class hound dog?”
“Do you notice anything similar about them?”
Carter lifted the sheets again and held them side by side. “Well, sure. They’re almost identical. Probably from the same lab…” His forehead furrowed. “What’s this splotch?”
“That’s the thing. The one naming the twins as his children has a cherry juice stain on it. The other is a photo copy of a stain.”
“It’s the same doc.”
“Has to be.”
“That’s cherry juice?”
“He liked Manhattans.”
“Oh. Hm.” Carter handed her back the sheets. “So I guess they’ll be getting Lyndsey retested.”
Charlotte blinked at him. “Sure, but, don’t you see? She had to have killed him for the money. She doctored the will.”
“Maybe. She could be guilty of fraud and I’ll look into it, but it doesn’t mean she killed him.”
“Who else could have killed him?”
Carter frowned. “I don’t know, that’s the point. I need you to stop snooping around there before you blow the case.”
“Blow the case?”
“Sure. You could tip her off we’re on to her.”
“Are you?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“And I’m not snooping around like Scooby-Doo’s crew. I was hired to do a job.”
Carter grinned. “Sure. I understand that. Just maybe let the big boys handle the murder.”
Charlotte felt her anger rising and motioned to the papers in his hands. “Would you like to at least make a photo copy of these?”
“Sure. Tiffany!”
He shouted the name past Charlotte and she winced at the volume so close to her ear. A girl of maybe twenty-one stuck her head into the office.
“Yes, Sheriff?”
“Can you make a copy of these two pieces of paper?”
He handed her the sheets. Smiling, the girl took them and then walked two steps to a large copier in the corner of the room.
Charlotte watched as the young assistant made the copies, handed them to Carter and then returned the originals to her.
“Anything else?”
“That’ll be all.”
Tiffany flashed the sheriff an adorable, lovestruck grin and bounced out of the office.
Oh brother.
Charlotte squinted at the sheriff. “You couldn’t walk the two feet to that machine?”
Carter shrugged. “I don’t want to put the girl out of a job.”
Charlotte set her jaw. “We have proof Lyndsey was lying about going upstairs, too.”
“I’d like to see that.”
“I’ll get Mina to get it to you.” She moved to leave.
“Hey,” called Carter.
She turned.
“What are you doing tonight?”
“You’re afraid I’ll be meddling in your case?”
“No, I mean, do you want to go get some dinner?”
“To talk about the case?”
“To talk about dinner. And maybe get some drinks.” He grinned. “I want to see if you’re this much of a spitfire when you’re off the job.”
Charlotte winced.
Ew.
“I have a boyfriend, remember?”
“Oh, you were serious? Like a real boyfriend. Not someone you just sorta date?”
“Like a real boyfriend.”
Carter bobbed his head to one side and shrugged. “Ah. Well, keep me updated on his status.”
Charlotte felt her lip twitch. She might need the sheriff’s help with the case at some point, so she restrained herself from explaining to him Declan wasn’t the only thing standing between them.
“Will do.”
She left without saying another word and drove the paternity tests back to Mina, marveling how the evidence that should have cracked open the case instead ended up turning into a date proposal.
“What did he say?” asked Mina as she answered the door.
“He said he’ll look into it.” Mina looked as if she’d been crying. She’d been crying during so many of her visits she almost didn’t notice and had chalked her red-rimmed eyes up as normal. “Are you okay?”
Mina nodded. “This is all so awful. I love all the girls.”
“Is there anything about Lyndsey’s past that makes it believable she doctored the will and maybe killed your brother, too?”
“I can’t picture her killing Kimber, but—”
“But?”
“But she’s always been a little, I
