Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” came through the speakers as the radio counted down to the next song. I turned the song up. “Whoever came up with this top five hundred list doesn’t know shit. This song should be much higher on the chart. Or lower. You know what I mean.”
Doc turned the volume down. “I agree, but you’re avoiding my question, sweetheart.”
I sighed. “What if Quint starts looking at me differently?”
Susan had been right about one thing. I adored my brother. I always had. Next to Natalie, he was my best friend growing up. How was I supposed to tell him what I was up to these days without coming across as stark raving mad? Or at least slightly unhinged? And if he did believe me, I didn’t want him to look at me like I was a killer, even though I was. I preferred him thinking of me as his crazy but lovable “Curly Bill.”
“Violet, you can’t hide what you are forever. Trust me, I know from experience. You can pretend, but something always gives you away.”
“I know, I know. I just didn’t want to ruin the holiday.”
“Your sister already beat you to it.”
I shifted in my seat. “Boy howdy, she sure did a bang-up job of it this year.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“No. Mom texted her but got no reply.”
“You think she made it to St. Barts?”
“Maybe. But it’s very possible she fled to South America instead, leaving me in a lurch with a bunch of money that doesn’t belong to me.”
Doc’s mouth tightened. “Coop thinks you should hire a lawyer.”
“Dad is going to contact his this week. He told me that my mom insists on paying for whatever it takes to fix this.”
The snow had turned Pilot Knob’s craggy top into a white blob. I’d bet Custer Peak was the same if not more buried.
“How’s your dad doing with this Susan business? He was pretty quiet at the table when it all came out.”
“We had a one-on-one conversation in his man cave after you guys left. He told me that after Susan had spoken her piece at the dinner table and Mom had calmed down, she and Dad had followed Susan to the basement. My mother spelled it out clearly without mincing words that Susan needed to do right by me. Dad added that my sister was not allowed back in their house until the deed was done.”
“No wonder Susan went to Denver with Mr. Peabody.”
“Dad said she went way too far this time, even for my mother’s forgiving nature.”
“Did you tell him about your deal with her for Rex?”
“No way. That would only piss him off at me. Besides, the chances of Susan following through on her word are slim at best. She has a history of taking the easy road out of trouble town.” The sign to Roubaix Lake was half-coated with snow with a drift burying the posts. “I’ll deal with Rex if I need to when the time comes.” I glanced at Doc. “Unless I kill him first.”
“You’ll need to get in line behind Natalie. She told me she has a brand-new pink hammer with his name on it.”
I grinned. “She called me last night from the Wyoming–Colorado border.”
Natalie hadn’t dallied up in Deadwood. She’d ridden back to town with Doc and Cornelius, packed her bags, and left a couple of hours later. “She should be pulling into Jackrabbit Junction later this evening if the roads are clear the rest of the way south.”
“That’s a long drive in a short time.”
“She was pretty determined to put distance between her and a certain detective.” I held my hand up in front of the warm air coming from the dashboard vents, glad for the heat with all of the snow surrounding us. “Does Cooper know she’s gone?”
Doc nodded. “I mentioned it this morning before I left for Rapid. He was heading to work as I drove away.”
“Did you tell him why she went down there?”
A smile played at the corner of his lips. “I might have hinted at it.”
I doubted Doc hinted as hard as I would have, but the cupid in me was content for now. “How’d he take it?”
“Hard to tell with Coop. He wears that same expression for most everything.”
“If you mean the pissed-off one, I wish he’d switch it out more often.” A couple of snowmobilers passed us going the other way, cruising at the edge of the ditch. “He’s actually a little handsome when he smiles, but not as dreamy as Reid.”
A laugh came from Doc’s side of the cab. “I’ll be sure to let Coop know you said that next time he smiles at me.”
“Oh, Lord, please don’t. He’ll shoot me for sure.”
He caught my hand and squeezed it. “Are you ready to return to life in Deadwood?”
“Life and death and everything in between.” I laced my fingers with his. “Anything happen while I was gone?”
He grimaced in response.
“What?” When he still held his tongue, I leaned toward him. “Come on, Doc. Spill.”
“I wanted to give you time to get home and unpack before telling you.”
“Telling me what?” His reluctance to talk made my chest flutter.
He frowned out the windshield. “As I promised Addy, I stopped by your aunt’s place shortly after getting back to Deadwood yesterday morning to check on the cat and gerbil.”
“Please tell me they’re both alive.”
“They’re fine.”
Whew! The last thing I needed right now was a dead pet to deal with on top of a dead husband.
“But when I was in our room,” Doc continued. “I looked out the window and saw someone standing on the sidewalk in front of the house.”
“Was it Rex?”
He shook his head. “Dominick Masterson.”
“Damn it.” I pulled my hand free of his and crossed my arms. “That man is relentless. You didn’t talk to him, did you?”
Dominick had a way of getting into people’s heads. Only Harvey and I had been able to resist his so-called charm
