Emotion moved through her. She couldn’t resist touching the big hand curled around the steering wheel. Her instincts were right about Beau. He was one of the good guys. No way was this man capable of killing his own father.
They parked in front of a redbrick house with white trim. Beau turned off the engine and the Lamborghini doors slid up. He rounded the vehicle as Cassidy climbed out, and they walked up the path to the front door together.
Beau rang the doorbell. A few minutes later, the door swung open and a balding man with glasses and a paunch stood in front of them.
“Hello, George,” Beau said.
“I heard about your dad,” George said. “I’m sorry for your loss, Beau.”
“Thanks. You know how it was between us, but still, finding him that way was hard.” He turned. “George, this is a friend, Cassidy Jones. May we come in?”
Clearly reluctant, Larson stepped back, silently allowing them into the house. He led them through the living room into a family room comfortably furnished with a dark green overstuffed sofa and chairs. A flat-screen TV hung above a redbrick fireplace.
“Myra’s out shopping,” George said. “You want something to drink?”
“No, thanks. This won’t take long.” He and Cassidy sat down on the sofa while Larson sat in one of the chairs. “Cassidy’s a private investigator, George. The cops haven’t found the guy who killed the senator, so we’re trying to help them tie up loose ends. Can you tell us where you were on Thursday morning about eleven o’clock?”
George’s eyebrows pulled into a frown. “I don’t like your asking, but since I wasn’t anywhere near your old man when he got pretty much what he’s deserved for years, I’ll tell you. I was in Iron Springs, in the middle of a meeting with my attorney, Phil Wheeler. You can call and verify if you want.”
Beau just nodded.
Cassidy looked at Larson. “You said he got what he deserved. You must have known about the side deal he made when you sold the business—the money he got that he should have split with you?”
“I found out later.” George focused on Beau. “I guess yourfather has cheated me for the last time. Strangely, I’ll miss the challenge of catching him at it, which I usually did.”
“How did you find out about the building?” Cassidy asked.
Larson shrugged. “It’s a small town. Stuff like that gets around. I figure I was lucky it wasn’t worse.”
“Why is that?” Beau asked.
“Your dad needed money, Beau. He always lived above his means and it finally got away from him. He told me he owed someone a chunk of money and he needed to pay it back. He pressured me to sell, and eventually I agreed. Now that it’s done, I’m glad I’m out of it. Maybe I can actually enjoy my retirement.”
“You know the guy’s name?” Beau asked.
“Stew didn’t say. He mentioned some guy in Dallas once, but it was years ago.”
“What was the name?”
“Dooley Tate. It was just odd enough I remembered.”
Cassidy’s stomach tightened. Dooley Tate was a notorious loan shark, a bottom feeder of the worst sort, not the kind of man she would have imagined the senator to be connected with. But if he’d borrowed money from Tate and hadn’t repaid him—
Cassidy mentally added Dooley Tate to her suspect list.
Beau stood up from the sofa. “We appreciate your talking to us, George. I never really thought you were involved. Now we can take you off our list.”
Without replying, George rose and started walking, leading them back to the front door. “Be careful, Beau. Your father knew some very powerful people. Whoever murdered him isn’t going to like your asking questions. You don’t want to wind up dead, too.”
Cassidy felt a chill. Anytime you tracked a killer, there was a chance it could turn deadly.
She walked in front of Beau down the path to theLamborghini. He helped her inside, then rounded the car and slid in behind the wheel.
Once he’d clicked his belt into place, he closed the car doors. “George said my father borrowed money from a guy named Dooley Tate. You ever heard of him?”
Cassidy nodded. “He’s a loan shark. He’s a real scumball, Beau. I can’t imagine your father being involved with someone like that.”
“George said it was a long time ago.”
