“Last I saw her, Dicky was leading her toward the cabins,” he said.
“Dicky...Dicky Jones?” Dylan asked.
I frowned.“Wait, that’s the DA, right?”
Trent nodded and leaned closer. “Yeah, rumor has it that kid of hers is his. Don’t let his old lady hear you say that, though. She has a nasty right hook and still has her bad habit. If you ladies will excuse me, I think I’m ready for another drink.”
Dylan grabbed my hand and tugged me in the direction Trent had pointed, away from the party. We heard voices comingfrom one of the cabins, so we crept forward until we could pinpoint them.
Brandy and some man were having a heated discussion behind a door to the right. It wasn’t completely closed, and Dylan gave it a little nudge so we could better listen in.
“I told you to keep your mouth shut and mind your own goddamn business,” the man said.
“I wasn’t poking around,” Brandy defended.
“Then how didyou find out about Helen?”
“Dylan came in asking about her while I was riding last night. She had questions about Helen giving out medicine. Dicky, are you having her dose the patients with something? She’s not even a nurse and—”
“This doesn’t sound like you minding your own business.”
“But why would you...is this what those life insurance forms were about?”
That was about all I needed tohear. I dragged Dylan away and pulled out my cell phone to call Jake.
While I waited for the call to go through, I asked Dylan, “That was the DA, right?”
She nodded. “Yep. Same condescending tone and all.”
“Hey, baby. Havin’ fun?” Jake asked.
“Actually, I’m calling because I need you to look into something for me.”
“Sure. You okay?”
“Yes, we’re fine, honey. We’re in a crowded train car.But we overheard a conversation between Brandy and the DA...Dicky Jones. He confirmed that Helen has been giving the old people something and Brandy mentioned life insurance policies. I was watching this crime show the other day and they were talking about this exact thing. If he’s taking policies out on these people, there’s gotta be a paper trail.”
“Okay, baby, I’ll see what I can find out,”Jake promised. “You do not go anywhere alone with him, hear me?”
“We’re trapped on a train. How could we possibly go anywhere alone with him?” Rolling my eyes, I hung up and Dylan and I grabbed something to eat and continued to mingle.
The train made it out to Hunter’s Hot Springs and stopped long enough to watch the geyser go off before turning around to head back to town. I figured we werehome free until Dylan grabbed my arm.
There was a dark-haired man—also wearing cheesy western wear complete with a vest, his age somewhere north of fifty, and his weight pushing three hundred pounds—slithering up to us.
“Ladies,” he crooned, and I recognized the voice from the back of the train. “Just the ladies I’d like to see. Congratulations on your win. And breakin’ the record. That’s quitean accomplishment.”
“Hey, Dicky,” Dylan said, confirming my fears. “How’s Melinda and the kids?”
“Good, good. We missed you at the last couple family reunions.”
“Yeah, I work a lot, so I don’t get back here all that often.”
“Oh well, you’re home now, and I’d love to give you two a tour of our new train.”
“You know, I think we’re good,” Dylan replied. “I think we’re just gonna go get anotherdrink.” She grabbed my hand and turned to leave.
“I insist,” Dicky replied. He had his hand on a big bulge beneath his vest. He gestured us toward the back door. “Don’t say anything. Just head to the back. I only want to talk to you.”
