“Alright, well we’re going to work the scene, and we’ll have the fire department make a final assessment once they get the blaze out.”
Miles shook Wes’s hand before he traipsed back to his truck, but Wes knew there was something Miles wasn’t telling him.
Once he finally got back to the office where he had a bunch of paperwork to complete, he found Gran waiting for him at his desk.
“Would you care to tell me why you didn’t think to inform me that sweet Mr.Shepherd passed away last night?Would you believe I had to hear that sad news, about a dear friend, from folks down at the diner.”
“Gran, I apologize, but as you can imagine I was pretty busy dealing with that scene out at the Shepherd house.Had to post a cruiser there all night since the heir is unknown.And it’s been nonstop since I arrived at eight.”
“Well how is Shelby handling this?Do you think it’s too soon for me to swing by and offer her my condolences and a home-cooked meal?”
“Yes, and you won’t find her at the house.Her father requests no one stay there until they can determine who is to inherit.”
His grandmother gasped.“Oh of all the low-down dirty things to do to his own daughter.Not to mention she doesn’t need a dime of that Shepherd money with all those books she sells.”
“You knew about her books?”
His grandmother rolled her eyes.“Yes, luckily for me I have more than one informant in this town.Well one less now that Mr.Shepherd has passed.Such a sweet man.”
Her eyes misted and Wes stood to comfort his tough-as-nails grandmother.It was rare something brought her to tears.
But she waved him off.“Oh I’m fine, just seems a shame.He just got his girl back in town and now he’s going to miss all the fun.”
“Fun?”
“Never mind.I think I’ll go invite Shelby to stay with me in case she needs a safe place from all the drama.”
“Gran, I already offered her a place to stay,” he said softly, closing his office door.“She strikes me as the type who might need a little space and privacy while she processes this loss.”
Gran nodded.“Alright, I’ll wait until I see her at the funeral.I hear that it’s Friday.”
“You did?What else did you hear?”
“That she was out at the Shepherd house, after meeting with Declan Shaw, and told her brother to get off her land when he tried to challenge her earlier this afternoon.Apparently she had the deed in her name and your deputy made sure her brother understood the law was on her side.”
“Damn it.”Wes grabbed his keys off his desk.
“Who told you that?”
“Same person who said there was a fire out at the Banks estate today.You know what they say.”
“I’m not sure I want to know, and who is this they?”
“Bad things always happen in threes,” Gran said.
“You’re not superstitious.”
“No, but that is what they say.”
“Your spies have any clue who set that fire out at the Banks estate?”
She sighed and eyed him while crossing her arms.“Maybe but it’ll cost you.”
“Name your price, woman.”
“You bring Shelby out for dinner at the house one night soon.”
Now it was Wes’s turn to sigh.He would be more than happy to take Shelby for dinner at his grandmother’s house.He usually had dinner with her at least twice a week.But he wasn’t sure when Shelby would agree to that.
