“I know you think something’s out there, Jolene, but the Pima County Sheriff’s Department did a thorough investigation.” He brushed a knuckle across her cheek.
“There has to be more. What was my father doing out there that night?”
“Maybe like you, he was searching for something that might put an end to the casino project.” Sam lifted one shoulder.
“And maybe he found it.”
He turned to face her, wondering if he should dissuade her from this line of thought or encourage it.
“Look out!” Jolene jerked forward and smacked her hand against the dashboard.
Sam slammed on the brakes before he twisted his head front and center. Melody waved from the side of the road.
“What the hell is she doing out here, and how’d she get here so fast from the house?” Sam eased off the brake, and the truck crawled toward Melody.
“She must’ve gone out the side of the house and bypassed the driveway, taking the shortcut to the road.” Jolene buzzed down the window. “Are you crazy, Melody? We almost hit you.”
Folding her arms, Melody tucked her hands against her sides and approached the truck. She ducked her head and peered at them through the open window, her dark hair with the pink streak creating a veil around her face. “I wanted to come out here and warn you to stop nosing around the casino project, Jolene.”
“Great. You, too? I already got that warning, loud and clear, but it’s not going to stop me. Something happened to Dad on that land, and I’m going to find out what it was before it’s all covered over with slot machines.”
“You don’t understand, Jolene.” Melody glanced over her shoulder. “Anyone who asks questions about the casino winds up dead—and you will, too.”
Chapter Eight
As Sam pulled away from the side of the road in front of Wade’s driveway, Jolene adjusted her side mirror to watch Melody grow smaller and smaller.
“What do you think about what she said? When we asked her, she couldn’t name anyone else who had died as a result of snooping into the project. Do you think she’s overreacting because of the snake? It really spooked her, but then Melody was always attuned to the old legends and myths.”
“I hate to break it to you, Jolene, but Melody was drunk.”
She tilted her head to the side to take in his profile. “Are you sure? She didn’t seem drunk to me. Didn’t smell drunk.”
“Melody always favored vodka as her poison because it’s hard to detect on someone’s breath, but I saw the signs. You thought she was going to step in front of my truck because she was unsteady. Her eyes looked glassy, she slurred some of her words and...she was talking nonsense.”
“You think so?” Jolene rubbed her hands against her bare thighs. “I wonder why she’s drinking again. She told me she’d been clean and sober for years.”
“Drunks can lie—and I should know. I’d be happy to go to a meeting with her while I’m here.”
“What if she’s telling the truth, Sam? Have there been any deaths associated with the casino project?”
“You’re asking me? I haven’t been in Paradiso for two years.” He drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. “But I can look into it. I haven’t heard about any murders, except those associated with the drug trade.”
“They wouldn’t be classified as murders, would they? We can look for accidents, disappearances—I mean recent ones, not the ones you’re looking at.” She sat forward in her seat. “Where are we going?”
“When I heard about the accident on the highway, I took off in this Border Patrol truck. I still have my rental car at the station, and I want to drop off this bag—” he jerked his thumb over his shoulder “—to see if we can get any fingerprints from the arrow. Wade would have a hard time denying he put that on your property if we lifted his prints.”
“What about me?” She trailed her fingers along one arm that was showing signs of bruising from the airbag. “I don’t even have a car.”
“Will your insurance company give you a rental? Have you even reported the accident?”
“I was on the phone to my insurance agent one minute after I called 911 and two minutes after I crawled from the wash like some swamp creature, before you came on the scene. They’ll pay for a rental.”
“This has been a helluva day, starting with the casino opening ceremony. Have you eaten anything since those few spoonfuls of chili you scarfed down at the ground-breaking?”
“No, but our day isn’t over yet.” She dug her phone out of her purse, which was still wet from the accident. “We’re going to check out those deaths.”
He pointed to her phone. “Does that still work?”
“It was zipped inside my purse when I brought it to the surface with me. I used it to call 911.” She flashed it at him. “And now I have a text coming in from my insurance company.”
“You could do a commercial for that phone. And when I mentioned looking into the deaths, I didn’t mean right this minute.”
“No time like the present.”
He grunted, which she took as agreement.
She glanced at him as he made the turn onto the main street running through town. Was he agreeing to all this because he believed her, believed Melody or was he doing it to stay close to her? Did it matter?
“All of this can only help your own case. You can’t go digging around private Yaqui property, a construction site, because you have a hunch. If we discover additional...irregularities with the casino project, we can delay it even further.”
“Okay, we’re here.” He pulled up to the Border Patrol station and parked the truck with the other official vehicles.
She had her own government truck
